Comic Chaos Reigns Supreme in a Neil Simon Farce
By Bruce Goodrich
Any writer of good theatrical comedies will tell you that there’s nothing ‘comic’ about the process. Even a well-crafted farce, such as celebrated playwright and screenwriter Neil Simon’s “Rumors,” is anchored in honest, grounded human behavior, which can be very frequently… very funny. Mr. Simon’s self-described ‘farce’ hails from 1988, where it premiered first at San Diego’s Old Globe Theatre, and then Broadway, that same year.
Mr. Simon is known for many hit plays, including “Barefoot in the Park” (1963), “The Odd Couple” (1965), “Brighton Beach Memoirs” (1985), and “Lost In Yonkers,” which was honored with the 1991 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
A key aspect consistent in Simon's writing style is his use of comedy, both situational and verbal, presenting serious subjects in a way that makes audiences "laugh to avoid weeping." He achieved this with rapid-fire jokes and wisecracks, set against a wide variety of urban settings and stories.
In an interview regarding “Rumors,” Simon said: "I was going through some difficult times...I wanted to work, because work is always a cathartic process for me, and I thought it would be really good just to get into a comedy. This is completely different for me… It's unlike anything I've ever written. It's my first farce."
The play’s premise centers around the 10th anniversary party of the Deputy Mayor of New York and his wife, Myra. From the start, things are in simmering chaos, and as guests continue to arrive, the eponymous ‘rumors’ about the Mayor and Myra are dropped. Chaos ensues with requisite twists, turns, pratfalls, gunshots, innuendo, gross misunderstandings, frantic entrances and exits, and rapid-fire door slamming.
Mr. Simon stated, "The play started with the idea of doing a farce... The next thing was to do it as an elegant farce, because the farces in Molière's days were generally about wealthy people. These aren't extremely wealthy people, but they are well-to-do. So I decided to dress them in evening clothes. There was something about having them dressed in evening clothes that I thought was a nice counterpoint to the chaos that was happening in the play. And so I picked a reason for them to be dressed elegantly, and it was their 10th anniversary."
“Rumors” director Autumn Browne is no stranger to Westminster Community Playhouse or high comedy, having appeared in “Fox on the Fairway” by Ken Ludwig. She has also directed work for New Voices Playwrights Theatre, as well as scores of other projects at area community theatres, and many further projects when she was teaching young talents at the junior high school level.
Browne is delighted by the talented 10-person cast she was able to assemble out of a “wealth of choices” for the WCP production and has described the process, about four weeks in at this writing, as “a joy to work on, for everyone involved. The actors have brought much to the table, with their sharp sense of comic timing, individual senses of humor, and theatrical instinct.”
Though the play takes place in 1988, it was decided that rather than focusing strongly on that era in costume, scenic, and technical design—which would have added an unnecessary ‘joke’ to the proceedings (women’s big hair and shoulders, etc.)—it was best to keep the look classic, elegant, and contemporary, letting the cantankerous plot take precedence.
According to Browne, it was enough to deal with keeping the manic action crystal clear, including handling the large amount of glassware used for nearly continuous drinking. Browne noted that working within WCP’s thrust stage configuration, which arrays the audience on three sides, has actually been an advantage, allowing her to make logical ‘moving pictures’ to accommodate maximum audience vantage points, with the ever-shifting blocking adding to the comic situations.
“Rumors” remains Neil Simon’s one and only full-length farce. And, farce though it is, it has all the hallmarks of a Simon play, with regular people facing extraordinary circumstances, filled with heart and sincerity. However, in this instance, the circumstances are ‘extra’ extraordinary, now newly tailored to generate big laughs in the Westminster Community Playhouse production.
Bruce Goodrich is a scenic and costume designer with many NYC, SoCal, and regional credits, as well as being an educator, actor, and writer. He is the screenwriter for “Mapplethorpe” (2018) starring Matt Smith, developed at Sundance, and directed by Ondi Timoner..
“Rumors”
Directed by Autumn Browne
Westminster Community Playhouse
7272 Maple Street, Westminster, CA
September 6 - 22, 2024
(949) 650-5269, www.wcpstage.com
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