What makes the play Ripcord so interesting for an actor to act in, a director to direct - or in your case Dear Reader, for the audience to sit through?
For openers, it’s not a comedy but it’s very funny - big belly laughs kind of funny.
It’s not a drama, but at times it is intense. Very intense.
Very Funny.
Very Intense.
There are good times in this play and there are bad times in this play.
You will want to laugh and you may want to cry.
At times you may hate a certain character - only to like them a moment later.
So what is Ripcord?
Well….. it’s a lot like Life.
The play is about two older women sharing a room in a senior housing complex in New Jersey.
I’ll keep it simple here.
Marilyn loves life.
Abby hates life.
Now both of those statements may be exaggerations, but like I said, I’m keeping it simple.
Abby wants Marilyn out.
Marilyn is determined to stay.
So some of you Dear Readers may be thinking - ‘gosh, sounds like The Odd Couple.'
Hardly.
This is a Heavyweight Bout.
This is Ali - Frazier.
This is Muhammad Ali vs George Foreman in The Rumble in the Jungle.
This is Sandy Koufax on the mound and Willie Mays at the plate.
I’ll say no more, as I do want you to come see this production.
But things are never simple.
Are these just two opposite women who can’t get along?
Of course not… that would be too simple.
What we discover is - they are both damaged goods.
The play peels back the layers of these two women and we get to see why they are like they are - how they got to be like they are - and if they will survive their individual hells.
Are they going to make it to the other side - are they going to be happy - are they going to be sad - are they going to make it out alive?
This play is a great character study of…… getting older….. of taking the blows life delivers and trying to survive it all.
It is Life… It is all our Rumbles in the Jungle.
To paraphrase a character in the play - It’s pulling the ripcord so we can slow ourselves down and enjoy the view while we still can.
Oh, and yes, there are big belly laughs too.
RD