Neil Simon's "Rumors": a Delightful Farce at Blue Moon Theatre
by Stephen Kreal
On Friday, January 31st, 2025, I had the pleasure of seeing the opening night performance of Neil Simon’s “Rumors” at Blue Moon Theater in Woodstown, NJ. The play was directed by Dominic Spadaccini (who was also in the cast, due to a medical situation involving a cast member) and stage managed by Donna Halpin.
“Rumors” was originally published in 1988, it made its Broadway debut on November 17th, 1988. Notable names of that original cast include Ron Leibman (as Lenny Ganz and Chrsitine Baranski (as Chris Gorman).
The simple set was a “unit set”, and all of the action takes place in the same room, with no scene changes at all. This made for a very smooth flow of the witty and clever dialogue that is the hallmark of playwright Neil Simon. I appreciated the details on the set, it was clearly a living room in a comfortable home. As is the custom in a farce, there were multiple doors for the quick entrances and exits of the characters. The performance space was full on opening night. The set was designed and built by Greg Hammell, Cheryl Stark, and Dominic Spadaccini.
When the story starts out, we meet married couple Ken and Chris Gorman (played by Luke Wallis and Tara Lessig, respectively), who have just discovered their friend, Charlie (a prominent citizen), injured and in a daze, unable to speak with an apparent gunshot to his earlobe. We never see or meet Charlie, who is upstairs in a bedroom. The couple very effectively portrayed a long-married couple in a stressful situation, trading sarcastic jabs at one-another in an effort to cope with the stress of the situation. They conspire early on to try to cover up the fact that Charlie has shot himself. The interplay between Mr. Wallis and Ms. Lessig was very natural and very funny. Mr. Gorman was downright hilarious in his desperation to figure out how to best handle the delicate situation.
Shortly after, we meet another married couple who has just arrived to the “party”, Lenny and Claire Ganz (played by Harrison Rothbaum and Judi Vitello, respectively). The couple was in a car accident moments before and are themselves quite distressed. Rothbaum was particularly comedic in his mannerisms and exasperation at being very hungry and his brand-new car being damaged (a recurring theme throughout the play). Vitello delivers perfectly-timed lines that are the hallmark of Neil Simon’s writing style. Her mannerisms and facial expression were in sync with her lines, delivering a wonderful performance. There was a nuanced balance with this couple, between neurotic intensity (Lenny) and sardonic and practical (Claire).
Next to arrive are Ernie and Cookie Cusack (played by Dominic Spadaccini and Kathy Schrieber, respectively). As mentioned, the actor who was cast as Ernie Cusack was unable to perform due to a medical issue, thus, the director stepped to fill the role. I applaud Mr. Spadaccini for stepping in: true to the time-honored tradition of “the show must go on”! Due to the emergency nature of the situation, He had his script in hand, as sometimes happens. In no way was it a major distraction, I was/am impressed that he did such a wonderful job, given the situation. He filled in admirably, and his timing with lines maintained the rapid pace of the dialogue. Schrieber, playing the role of Cookie Cusack, was a highlight of the evening. Schrieber portrayed the loveable, somewhat daft successful TV chef. Her facial expressions and physicality were real scene stealers.
Last to arrive are Glen & Cassie Cooper, played by Erik Schembs and Shannon Moscariello, respectively. Moscariello instantly commands audience attention when she enters the stage wearing a revealing green gown, with her straight-laced, politician husband dressed impeccably in a full tuxedo. The audience is drawn into their ongoing, heated arguments. The passive-aggressive nature of their relationship was played brilliantly. Particularly when Mrs. Cooper pulled out her quartz crystal, which she rubbed sexily on her neck for self-soothing, while her embarrassed husband tries to cover her up.
The frantic nature of the story begins to build, in classic farcical style. There is plenty of deception, confusion, and chicanery, as the couples try to find out exactly what happened and how to best deal with the situation, given that several of the characters are well known, prominent citizens. The play is a farce, and thus very fast-paced and frantic. This production did a good job with pacing and establishing the harried nature of the story. One extremely minor critique regarding a specific prop: the characters are drinking both liquor and wine out wine glasses. The characters are well-established as wealthy socialite types, who would most likely have the appropriate style of glasses.
The events at the house eventually draws the attention of the police. In Act 2, we are introduced to Officer Welch played by Susan Licciardello. Licciardello plays the quintessential veteran, suspicious-of-everything cop. She commands the stage, as she walks around asking questions and pointing the many inconsistencies and absurdities of their story. She finally gets Lenny Ganz to break down, and he hilariously explains everything that happened in a fast-paced, must see monologue.
The costumes were effective in conveying that the characters were wealthy socialite types. The ladies were in dresses, ready for an evening dinner party. I liked the balance of colors of the costumes for the four ladies. The men were in traditional black tuxedos, in varying states of completeness. I do wish Officer Welch was in a police uniform as opposed to the more detective-like choice of trench coat, but the badge around the neck was a nice touch. I also noted that the outfits matched the personalities of the characters nicely. The production team is rounded out by Lighting/Sound/Sound Tech by Jolee Farrah and Dominic Spadaccini. The sound cues (telephone ringing mostly) were perfectly timed. The lighting was simple, effective, as there were no scene or tonal changes.
“Rumors” at the Blue Moon Theater in Woodstown NJ is a farcical romp with some very colorful characters, brought to life by a talented cast and dedicated director. I would recommend The show runs through Saturday, February 8th. Tickets can be purchased at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/rumors-by-neil-simon-tickets-1034082477527?aff=ebdsoporgprofile&fbclid=IwY2xjawIMk4BleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHQugyinmgnZKSujh96hwxVnwKyLe6lE7zOCOaVHavk0nascwwynUBFUZAQ_aem_h7nEp2InomwW_3fsM5Pdsg
