For three performance only beginning on Thursday, May 25th, students of Lakefield College School will present their production of Neil Simon’s comedy Rumors at the school’s Bryan Jones Theatre.
Directed by Tina St. John and Dayna Taylor, Rumors is a theatrical farce filled with secrets, lies, and laughs. And best of all, like all Lakefield College School productions, admission to the show is free to the public.
Neil Simon broke out of his usual mode of storytelling to write Rumors, written during a dark time in his life. With his marriage on the rocks and grieving the death of his son-in-law in a car accident, Simon wanted to push through the tragedy by throwing himself into a new show, and for the first time he decided to write a classic farce.
Rumors made its premiere at San Francisco’s Old Globe Theatre in September 1988 and moved to Broadway the following month. The show won a Tony Award as well as Drama Desk Award for costuming. Although not one of Simon’s most famous productions, the play was considered a hit in New York at the time of its release and is now one of the most popular productions for student theatre.
Rumors is a show about the unraveling of high society in an attempt to keep secrets during times of trouble. It is the 10th wedding anniversary of New York Deputy Mayor Charlie Brock and his wife Myra, and his friends and distinguished guests have been invited to his home to celebrate.
However, when Charlie’s lawyer Ken (Josh Garrison) and his wife Chris (Meg Hicks) show up as the first guests to arrive, they find Charlie with a non-fatal gunshot wound to the head, the servants and staff gone, and Myra nowhere to be found.
As Ken and Chris rush around to cover up what has happened before anyone finds out and keep Charlie’s good name out of the high society rumour mill, their spiral of lies creates a whirlpool of confusion as guests continue to arrive.
Ken and Chris find accomplices in Charlie’s accountant Len (Braeson Agar) and his wife Claire (Robyn-Lee Hotte), while attempting to keep Charlie’s condition a secret from therapist Ernie (Ethan Jiang) and his wife Cookie (Rose Bouchard) and Senate nominee Ben (Glen Dunk) and his wife Cassie (Mikayla Stoodley).
However, with no servants, half-prepared food, and hosts who don’t show up, it soon becomes clear to everyone that more is going on than what it seems. With the characters having something to lose by being present at the scene of whatever actually happened, they agree it’s in everyone’s best interests for nobody to find out what happened to Charlie.
Of course, in a farce nothing ever works out according to plan and, as the evening rolls on, the cover-up gets larger and wilder.
It is always a treat to visit Lakefield College School for their drama productions, with excellent production values and an always-talented energetic cast. Rumors is no exception when it comes to offering a capable show filled with fantastic young actors.
The strong connection between the ensemble cast is the show’s main strength. With rapid-fire lines and reactions, the actors on stage masterfully take the audience through a very wordy production filled with complicated and rambling monologues and a variety of physical comedy. This young and exceptionally skilled cast takes on Rumors without breaking a sweat.
Josh Garrison and Meg Hicks get the show rolling as Ken and Chris Gorman. Ken is loud and frantic, while Chris is dignified and never loses her lady-like qualities. Together they build the foundation of the show by bringing the audience into the chaos from the moment the lights go up, not letting the backstory bog down the production so the show can get going immediately.
Although much of Josh’s performance sees him running around frantically screaming, Meg manages to maintain a sense of class in the face of madness, making her very much an anchor for the audience as the show gets more inane.
Braeson Agar and Robyn-Lee Hotte give twp of the strongest performances in the show as Len and Claire Ganz. A little more streetwise than the Gormans, Len talks tough while Claire has a sort of crass cynicism to her. They offer a different dynamic then the Gormans as an alternative to handling the situation.
I often felt I would react to the drama more like the Ganzs then the Gormans, which had me often migrating more towards them than the primary couple. However, the madness eventually pulls them in and they become strong supports to the Gormans.
Ethan Jiang and Rose Bouchard take on the show’s character roles as Ernie and Cookie Cusak. The comic relief of the show, Ethan creates humour by underplaying the mild-mannered Ernie, while Rose masterfully takes on a character who is completely daft. Together they make an endearing comedy duo that gets most of the genuine laughs in the show.
Although non-intentional, there’s something about the way that Ben Dunk and Mikayla Stoodley play Glen and Cassie Cooper that immediately brings to mind Donald and Melania Trump. From the way the duo wears their hair to their costumes, I couldn’t help but snicker when they arrived on the stage.
If it wasn’t deliberate, as the directors claimed when I asked, goodness knows the characters are just as miserable in their marriage. Although the party already seems full without their inclusion, Ben and Mikayla bring some real fireworks to the scene, setting the tension to a full-on boil.
Also appearing in Rumors are Ali Attyani, LJ Simmons, and Richard Xia as the police officers who arrive at the house. Although performing a small role, Richard Xia really brings it on strong as the angriest police officer in drama. His performance can only be called pure comedic aggression.
Lakefield College School often astonishes me with their incredible sets, but the set for Rumors is far and above one of the best sets I have ever seen. Designed by Harold Davies, the two-storey mansion is so well created I felt that I could have moved in and lived on the set quite comfortably.
I also want to make note of the costumes in Rumors. With the women in elegant dresses and the men in classic suits, the costumes bring an air of decadence to the stage, which clashes against the zany escapades. I really liked the style and elegance of the production, which captured the feeling of the New York elite.
Rumors is more than just a farcical comedy. It’s a window into the madness of high society, and how it takes a lot of effort to maintain ambition, vanity, ego, and status — perhaps more energy than it’s worth. But it also is a comedy where one lie plays upon another, creating a situation that gets bigger and bigger as the show goes on. What really happen to Charlie? Where is Myra? Will the truth ever come out? Does it really matter?
It is always a joy to go to Lakefield College School. I love the beautiful Bryan Jones Theatre, the new faces on stage, the professionalism of the cast and crew, and the inviting atmosphere of the school. But the most astonishing thing about their productions is that they are free to the public. It’s a great night out and a way to support some fresh talent.
Rumors will be performed at the Bryan Jones Theatre at Lakefield College School on Thursday, May 25th and Friday, May 26th at 7:30 p.m. with a matinee performance at 4 p.m. on Saturday, May 27th. Admission to all performances is free.
