Jake's Women opens Oct. 30 in New Canaan

Written by Tanya Bickley
Thursday, 29 October 2009 10:53

The Town Players of New Canaan’s 63rd season opens on Oct. 30 with Neil Simon’s comedy drama, Jake’s Women. The central character, Jake, is a novelist in his fifties who is conflicted about his relationships with the women in his life, past and present. The play is filled with witty and insightful dialogue as Jake’s women enter and exit in real life and also in his imagination. Laughs, a little pathos, and wry commentary on modern relationships, the hallmark of Simon’s comedy oeuvre, abound.

Performances take place at the Powerhouse Performing Arts Center in Waveny Park, New Canaan on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 30 & 31 and Nov. 6, 7, 13 &14 at 8 p.m. with matinees on Sunday, November 1 & 8 at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $18 for adults and $15 for students and seniors (age 62). To reserve seats, please call (203) 966-7371.

Lester Colodny of Westport, a veteran of Broadway and Hollywood who managed Simon’s career at the William Morris Agency during the early days of the playwright’s ascendancy, directs this production. Mr. Colodny believes that this play is more than a little autobiographical given Mr. Simon’s history and the many women involved with his real life. Because of his personal relationship with the playwright, Mr. Colodny commented that he “jumped at the chance” to direct this Town Players’ production. Just like Simon, Colodny loves to work with women actors and, judging from the cast’s female actors’ comments about him, the feeling is mutual.

Playing Jake and Jake’s real life and fantasy wife, Maggie, are Michael Day and Kimberley Lowden, both of Stamford. Their last romantic onstage entanglement at the Powerhouse occurred when they played the leads in George Bernard Shaw’s romantic comedy Candida and it will be fascinating to see them portray yet another passionate words craftsman and his intelligent, independent, beautiful wife.

Mr. Day’s portrayal captures the neurotic idiosyncrasies of a writer who is both tortured and helped by the women, past and present, in his life. His comic timing, so important to Simon’s brisk, witty dialogue, is according to director Colodny, “perfect.” In her performance, Ms. Lowden says as much with her sensitive and varied facial expressions as she does with her lips. She captures the embarrassment, sadness, and bewilderment of a wife whose marriage is in jeopardy. Mr. Day has also appeared in Proof for the Town Players and directed their productions of The Fantasticks and Amy’s View. Ms. Lowden has also appeared as Ruth Condomine in Blithe Spirit and in various other roles with the Town Players over the years. Recent roles in the CT/NY area include a Spirit in The Tempest with Shakespeare on the Green at Curtain Call, Lady Macbeth in the RTA production of Macbeth in Ossining, NY, Gwendolyn in The Importance of Being Earnest at Westport Community Theatre and as Gillian in Bell, Book and Candle at Curtain Call.

New Canaan is represented in the cast by Lynne Bolton, Rachel Guth, and Holly Aladin. Ms. Bolton portrays Jake’s girlfriend Sheila, who becomes confused to the point of hysteria with Jake’s delusional conversations with women present only in his mind. Her interpretation of Sheila’s frustration with Jake’s time-shifting banter between her and the other women, seen yet not seen, is hilarious. Ms. Bolton, who directed A Midsummer Night’s Dream on Nantucket this summer has appeared with the Town Players in Love Letters with Robert Doran, as Lady Alice in A Man for All Seasons, Pheni in The Sisters Rosensweig and Mrs. Gibbs in Our Town. Taking the roles of Molly, Jake’s daughter with his late wife Julie, will be Ms. Guth and Ms. Aladin. Rachel, a student at Saxe Middle School, plays Molly at age 12, who both cheers up her father and understands him to a T. Last seen in Bye Bye Birdie at Saxe and in STONC’s Camelot, Rachel appeared in the Town Players’ 2008 Family Holiday Show Mother Goose. As Molly at age 21, Ms. Aladin takes on a separate persona and appears at times on stage with her younger self. A graduate of Brown University, Ms. Aladin appeared as Chloe Coverly in the Town Players’ production last spring of Tom Stoppard’s Arcadia.

Maureen Cummings, who plays Edith, Jake’s therapist, and Suzanne Lewin, who will be seen as Karen, Jake’s sister, hail from Norwalk. Each actor has earned extensive credits in Fairfield County community theater productions. Having played the lead in the female version of Whose Life is it Anyway?, Ms. Cummings has appeared in three other plays directed by Mr. Colodny who, she comments, “is a joy to work with.” Ms. Lewin portrays the special relationship that exists between brother and sister although at times, given Jake’s neuroses and hallucinations, she finds it especially challenging: “When I’m here, I can talk to you. But when someone else is here, I can’t talk to him or her. It’s very confusing...” And, for the audience, very funny! Most recently Ms. Lewin performed as Inez Finidori in Yazmina Reza’s Life X3 at Naples’ Gulfshore Playhouse. Her favorite roles include Sara Goode in Sisters Rosensweig, Charlotte Hayes in Moon Over Buffalo, and Blanche Daily in Romantic Comedy.

Rounding out the cast is Kate Rakowski of Milford, who plays Julie, Jake’s late first wife who died at a young age and is Molly’s mother. The role, she admits, is “challenging” because many of the characters, though seen on stage, actually exist only when Jake creates mind talk. A theatre major from Northeastern University, Ms. Rakowski most recently appeared in Eastbound Theatre productions as Abbey in Playing God and Joan in Mere Mortals.

The cast of gifted actors is supported by an equally gifted production staff in the persons of Producers Patrick Kiley and Sheri Dean, Jeffrey Klein (Lighting Designer), Elaine Giggi (Stage Manager), Dick Hollyday (Sound Designer), Sheila Toner (Sound Board Operator), Deb Zagoreos (Light Board Operator), Deborah and Kae Shields (Costumes), as well as Cheryl Petrone and Linda Hurst (Make-up).