Written by orange• January 19, 2025• 1:35 am• Newport Beach, Newport Theatre Arts Center, Review, Theater, Uncategorized

Neil Simon’s Rumors @ Newport Theatre Arts Center – Review

Photo Credit: Sarah Whitewell

Written by Patrick Chavis

Neil Simon’s Rumors will be playing at Newport Theatre Arts Center from Jan 17 to Feb 9, 2025.

While the delivery of this quick-witted farce has some issues, the talent of this ensemble of veteran actors and Joe Lauderdale’s tight and informed direction make this rendition well worth a viewing.

The cast of Neil Simon’s Rumors @ Newport Theatre Arts Center

Story:

Neil Simon’s Rumors follows a group of four wealthy families getting together to celebrate the 10th-anniversary party of the Deputy Mayor of New York, Charley Brock. He is found shot but alive, and Myra, his wife, is missing. The guests at the party ponder and postulate what could have happened as the night unfolds in hilarious ways. I hope no rumors are spread!

A big part of this play is the affluence of these people, who are from the upper crust of New York around the 1980s. When I think of this play, I see a lot of quirky personalities, but when you are rich, it’s not quirky; it’s eccentric and adorable (double standard, maybe). Simon mastered writing quick one-liners and having them resonate and tie in later in the story. This makes for a show worth checking out at least once or twice to see what you missed.

Set Design:

From the very beginning of the production, Jim Huffman’s set design captures the elegance of the 1980s, from the stained white marble floors to the intentional color palette of white, gold, and silver throughout the space, communicating wealth. The selection of art pieces also reads very 80s, very yuppie. Last but not least, there are plenty of doors for comedic purposes.

The cast of Neil Simon’s Rumors @ Newport Theatre Arts Center

Costume/Wig:

Standouts were definitely the work of costume designer Jenny Wentworth and Cliff Senior’s wig work. They both take a similarly elegant and upper-class approach to the costumes and hair and present some stunning pieces. The curly wigs used on all three of the actresses really captured a late 1970s, early 80s style. This complemented the fitted dress styles. For example, Gabrielle Mack’s (Cassie Cooper) black and gold dress fits the socialite character very well.

And that wasn’t the exception! Overall, the costuming in this show did a great job of putting us in a time and place. Even the cop uniforms, which would have been the least realistic in some ways, added to the humor, as these cops weren’t the most by-the-books cops, either. With the way the show is written, I wouldn’t have been surprised if the cops shouted, “Surprise, we’re not cops; these are Halloween costumes!”

Christine Alfano (Chris Gorman)

Direction:

At the center of all of it is a comedy, and it’s relatively fast-paced, which can be challenging. Not only do the actors deliver lines fast, but they also have to make them sound natural and not just spitting out dialogue. The honest answer is that there were enough issues where it was noticeable, which happens in live theatre. Still, more importantly, these actors generally did a good job of emoting their characters’ unique personalities and cadence, so when there were issues, it was not a big deal. People misspeak all the time in real life. Color me one of them.

Acting:

Ginger Grant from Gilligan’s Island fame, eat your heart out. You’ve got competition from Cassie Cooper (Gabrielle Mack). Mack plays the envious, high-strung wife. She makes some funny choices with this character and is not afraid to flaunt it, but it’s very funny in these most awkward moments. Bill Peters plays Glenn Cooper, a politician preoccupied with his image. And will do almost anything to keep his record clean. Not a boring moment for Peters, and he shined in his moments with Cassie and the cops.

Bill Peters (Glenn Cooper) and Gabrielle Mack (Cassie Cooper)

It’s essentially an ensemble piece, but if there were leads in this show, they would be the Gorman family. Ryan A. Person (Ken Gorman) and Christine Alfano (Chris Gorman). What a performance, Alfano’s delivery and presence on stage. Not one dropped line, it’s about as good as it gets.

In a play where reason takes a vacation, Ernie Cusack (Floyd Harden), a psychiatrist by trade, does his best to help remedy the coming chaos. Harden shines his composure throughout and shows his frustration but does not go over the top with it, which would have been out of character for the character of Ernie.

The use of colorful mood lighting, a mixture of dark blues, purples, and even yellows, was satisfying to the eyes. The sound design, which can often be understated and sometimes too understated, was not a problem with the production. I could hear the telephone ringing, the car coming into the drive, and so much more from designer Joshua Serrano.

I saw this opening night, and with more shows under their belt, I could only imagine this show getting better.