The Barnstormers present Rumors, a farce by Neil Simon, this weekend in Mattin Center’s Swirnow Theater. Rumors centers on five hysterical couples whose lives intersect on one absurd night at a swanky New York residence. The News-Letter attended a dress rehearsal of the show on Tuesday night. The show was produced by junior Gillian Lelchuk and directed by guest-director Jeffrey M. Cordell.
Four couples arrive at the home of Charley and Myra Brock for a tenth-anniversary party only to find Myra missing, Charley with a gunshot wound to the ear and all of the servants gone. In order to explain these strange occurrences without admitting that Charley may have tried to commit suicide, each of the couples becomes drawn into an increasingly elaborate set of deceptions which wrap around the plot of the farce.
The first couple to arrive is the Gormans — Ken, an eminently logical lawyer (freshman Carver Bain) and Chris (sophomore Octavia Fitzmaurice), his flighty wife who is desperately in need of a cigarette. Next up are an emotional and constantly combusting Lenny (sophomore David Gumino) and drily humorous gossip Claire Ganz, (freshman Maya Singh Sharkey) who arrive after a car accident in their new BMW. Next are a polite psychologist, Dr. Ernie Cusack (freshman Sebastian Durfee), and his erratic and eccentric wife Cookie (sophomore Brenda Quesada). Then there is an aspiring state politician, Glenn (senior Zachary King), and quartz-crystal-loving Cassie (freshman Sinclaire Schaefer). Later on, two policemen arrive, Officer Welch (junior Ian Stark) and Officer Pudney, (sophomore Natalie Wallington) and attempt to resolve the perplexing situation.
Rumors, a comedy by prolific American playwright Neil Simon, premiered at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego in 1988 before moving to Broadway. The show played at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre after 535 performances. The original Broadway cast included actors Lisa Banes, Christine Baranski, Andre Gregory, Ken Howard, Ron Leibman, Joyce Van Patten and Jessica Walter.
Christine Baranski went on to win a Tony Award for her performance in the play in the role of Chris Gorman. Simon is known for his play The Odd Couple, his musicals Sweet Charity and Promises, Promises and his numerous films.
The cast and crew truly make the audience feel like a part of the elegant and clearly artificial opulence and leisure that the characters enjoy. Sophomore David Gumino’s Lenny is an especially physically exuberant performance that intensifies as the lies and deceit begin to reach hysterical heights. Freshman Maya Singh Sharkey’s Claire Ganz’s quiet sarcasm is a welcome respite from Lenny’s shouted lines. The cast gives voice to the unique neuroses of the very moneyed, very bizarre New York dwellers and do their best to sound like they are all from the tristate area. (Fair warning for those of you tired of hysterical absurdities shouted in heavy New York accents after this election cycle.)
The set is a swanky New York apartment, all minimalist in white and beige and with modern art on the walls. The whole of the cast is well dressed and elegant, with the men in suits and women in black-tie gowns.
One excellent use of props was the choice to have the characters pour drinks out of elegant metallic reusable water bottles, which emphasizes the luxury of the characters’ lives and their seemingly constant consumption of alcohol.
Rumors is the Barnstormers main stage production for the fall. In terms of plot, Rumors is reminiscent of last year’s The Mousetrap, by Agatha Christie, in which a group of increasingly paranoid people attempt to solve a murder mystery. Rumors is similar in tone to Is He Dead?, the a hilarious farcical 2014 show which centered upon an artist’s attempts to increase the value of his work by playing dead.
In the director’s note of the play, Cordell shared why the Barnstormers chose this show and what connections they hoped Hopkins students and others would find with the play.
“This farce presents the perfect escape and confrontation for our times in 2016. The Barnstormers chose an important offering for their audiences in this particular moment in history. During rehearsals, each line became increasingly relevant – as can happen with comedy that’s ripe for revival. I hope you hear the echoes. I hope you discover a story that seriously matters to you. Most of all, I hope you recognize yourself in the mirror of these characters whose concerns have bizarrely become the intimate territory of smart, engaged young people like yourself.”
Rumors is the latest performance by the Barnstormers following their 2015-2016 season that included a rendition of Legally Blonde: The Musical and The Mousetrap as well a series of Freshman One-Acts.
Corrections: Gillian Lelchuk's name was spelled incorrectly, as was the Swirnow Theater and Charley Brock. David Gumino was mixed up with Sebastian Durfee.
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