Cast of “Ripcord” – Back row: David Blair, Adam Pitman, Andrew Matulionis; Front row: CrisMarie Campbell, Penny Carpenter, Nancy Nei, and Scarlett Schindler
“Ripcord,” Whitefish Theatre Company’s third Black Curtain Theatre production of the 2018-2019 season, is a “tastily sweet-and-sour comedy.” A talented ensemble performs this hilarious and moving play at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 26-27 at the O’Shaughnessy Center in Whitefish.
Battle lines are being drawn at the Bristol Place Senior Living Facility. The prize? A sunny room on an upper floor that is prime real estate.
Cantankerous Abby is forced to share her quarters with new-arrival Marilyn, a fiercely cheerful new roomie who wants the bed next to the window. Not willing to give up her spot, Abby decides she has no choice but to get rid of the infuriatingly chipper woman by any means necessary. To settle the score, a seemingly harmless bet between the women not only reveals the tenacity of these worthy opponents, but quickly escalates into an outrageous game of one-upmanship.
“The Odd Couple” meets “The Golden Girls” in this over-the-top story from David Lindsay-Abaire (Pulitzer Prize-winning author of “Rabbit Hole,” “Fuddy Meers” and “Good People”).
“A ripcord is a cord or wire pulled in making a descent to release a parachute out of its container,” says director Katie Nixon. “In many ways, release is the perfect word to describe ‘Ripcord’ … It provides a release of laughter with abandon, it is smart deceit, and it is friends and family showing loving sweetness while facing hard truths. This show is truly a ‘ripcord’ for our most basic human emotions, allowing us to lift up as we descend.”
Cast members include Penny Carpenter as Abby; Nancy Nei as Marilyn; Andrew Matulionis as Scotty; David Blair as Benjamin, Lewis and the Clown; Adam Pitman as Derek, the Zombie Butler and the Masked Man; Scarlett Schindler as Colleen and the Woman In White; and CrisMarie Campbell reading stage directions.
“I am completely humbled by my cast members, all of whom I have been lucky enough to act with but have never directed. Maturity, humor, and nuance abound in each and every actor onstage,” says Nixon. “I love that all of them see the immediate humor in this story and can easily tap in to the moments of profound depth and friendship.”
Viewers are reminded that as a Black Curtain production, there will minimal staging, no set or props, and actors will be reading from a script. Tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for students with general seating. In support of government employees affected by the current shutdown, all employees with a government ID can attend this show for free.
Tickets can be purchased at the WTC Box Office, online at whitefishtheatreco.org or at the door on the evenings of each show. The Box Office, located at 1 Central Ave. in Whitefish, is open 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday through Friday and at 6:30 p.m. on the night of each show. For more information, call 406-862-5371.