Theater III held the opening night of “Women in Jeopardy!” by Wendy MacLeod this past Saturday. Cast and crew both came out of the gate running with a seamless execution of the “wine mom comedy”. In the play, tensions are rising in a group of middle-aged divorcees as Mary and Jo become convinced that their long-time friend Liz’s new boyfriend is a serial killer. Their antics had the audience laughing along from the start.
Underneath their fear for Liz’s wellbeing, the real source of conflict between the women is in their chase for youth and exploration of sexuality. Jo (Karla Goo Lang) is frustrated that she’s losing valuable friendship time to the newfound heedless hedonism of Liz (Nancy Albertson). Meanwhile, Mary (Kristin Gillet) feels left behind in the world of aging singles. It’s against this backdrop that Liz’s 19-year-old daughter Amanda (Colleen Eccles) and her on-again-off-again boyfriend Trenner (Rosemary Ouellet) struggle with what it means to be adults. The couple fights for total independence even as they seek support and belonging from the older women. The younger generation ultimately gives the women perspective on benefits of maturity they’ve gained with age, while the older generation makes space for Amanda and Trenner to be kids.
The set design is stunningly complex for a community theater, and uses every inch of the unique stage space. The kitchen layout in particular made for a cozy, homey environment which let the excitable dynamic of the women really come to life. Glenn Pierce, as the boyfriend Jackson, was the perfect straight man to the high energy of the women, despite being the weirdest person in the room at any given time. Even the prop comedy is well-utilized. Rosemary Ouellet in particular incorporates her environment to bring out the brash, over-confident immaturity which is so vital for her character, Trenner.
Be sure to catch the show before it ends! Donations made by patrons and visitors are being used to install an accessible bathroom, lift, and exterior ramp, to be more handicap friendly. Renovations will be complete by the theater’s next production. For now, the lower lobby is limited to restroom use only. You can watch “Women in Jeopardy!” on October 24 and 25 at 7:30 p.m., and October 26 at 2 p.m. Those who sign up to usher see the show for free. The play does include swearing and sexual jokes, so invite others and attend accordingly. More information can be found at www.theatre3.org.
Grace Blaufuss is a resident of West Acton.
