Chapter Two opens with humor and romance
Jan 15, 2007 at 2:00 AM Jan 15, 2007 at 8:38 PM
I believe that theatre ages like fine wine. The sweet taste of the Barnstable Comedy Club, opening up its 85th season with the Neil Simon classic, Chapter Two, quenched my thirst for theatre.
arts@barnstablepatriot.com
The play tells the story of George Schneider (played by Cape radio personality, Dan Trittle), a middle-aged man still mourning the death of his wife when he falls deeply in love with the not-so-gay divorcee, Jennie Malone (portrayed by renowned Cape actress, Sophie Moeller).
The two meet with the help of well meaning others, George's brother Leo (BCC veteran Dave Breski) and Jennie's friend Faye (the ever-so-funny Christy Morris).
In the midst of this lively entanglement of relationships George and Jennie get hitched just two weeks after they meet. With a story like this, one would expect a typical living happily ever after ending. These two newlyweds, however, go from being Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan to Liz Taylor and Richard Burton in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? pretty much after they return from their honeymoon.
George still cannot shake off the memories of his late wife, causing him to become emotionally crippled and isolated by his newfound love, a love that is about to be lost. Can a relationship such as George and Jennie's be salvaged before it becomes another memory of lost love?
The BCC's adaptation of Neil Simon's semi-autobiographical play based on the mourning of his first wife followed by his whirlwind relationship with Martha Mason is a good start to what can be expected of the BCC's 85th season.
The split stage set in which one side consists of George's apartment and the other side, Jennie's apartment, fits well into what the audience is able to gather from the characters. For example, George's apartment symbolizes him as someone disheveled, disorganized, and living in the past. This can be seen in the photos of his late wife randomly scattered across his walls.
As for Jennie, she is tidy, organized, and open, as if she had a weight lifted from her, as in the case of her former husband.
Some mishaps during the performance, cues and lines being missed, actually made the show more symbiotic to Simon's interpretation of starting a new relationship -- confusing, bumbling, but in the end, working out well.
Despite the mishaps the show will leave audiences laughing in the wake of this witty and bittersweet romantic comedy.
Chapter Two is now showing at the Barnstable Comedy Club in the Village Hall on Route 6A in Barnstable Village. Showtimes are Jan. 12-13 and 19-20 at 8 p.m., with 2:30 matinees on Jan. 14 and 21. Tickets are $16, $14 for students and seniors, and can be reserved by calling 508-362-6333.