“This crisp and witty play, blatantly depicting sophisticated women living in a ‘man’s world,’ is filled to the brim with savage banter and catty gossip that would most likely be described by today’s audiences as one heck of a catfight,” said Tori Tuccillo, who portrays the amusing Nancy Blake and recently appeared as Yente in the Playhouse’s “Fiddler on the Roof.”
“However, Luce subtly intertwines growth, ‘light-bulb moments,’ and even regret in her characters. As a society today we strive to move away from the societal restrictions clearly defined in the world which ‘The Women’ lived. And today, although presented in an ever so subtle way, our claws remain at the ready.”
“Sometimes we think people’s lives in the past were G-rated and rather tame, but love, marriage, sexual intrigue, and divorce have existed well before the 1930s,” said Amy Taint, who plays perpetually pregnant Edith and starred last season as the conflicted Marjorie Taub in the Playhouse’s “The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife.” “Period costumes and period slang are often the only tip off to when this comedy was written. There’s a reason (this play) is popular generation after generation. Women see themselves and their friends in it and men catch a glimpse of what goes on when we think they’re not around.”
Last fall, Jenna Gomes broke hearts as the naive Claire whose world was turned upside down after a night of partying in Playground Theatre’s edgy season finale “Jailbait.” This time around, she’s enjoying the change of pace afforded to her by appearing in a period piece built on the levity of satire.
“The comedy is absolutely ridiculous, but it’s so over-the-top that it functions as satire,” said Gomes, who portrays Crystal. “Also, the characters are relatable even to contemporary audiences. Although typical of the 1930s, the characters have dynamic personalities and friendships. It’s an early, more appropriate, ‘Sex and the City.’ Every person in the audience, men and women, can relate to the strong but tested friendships in the show.”
Under the direction of Robb Willoughby, who staged “Memories of the Game” last summer at the Playhouse’s annual FutureFest of new works, the cast includes Rachel Oprea, Yara Khalil, Libby Scancarello, Renee Franck-Reed, Ellen Ballerene, Marcia Nowik, Ash Sisson, Danikah Skaroupka, Tamar Fishbein, Carrin Ragland, Heather Carrell, Caitlin Blackford, Becky Howard, Cheryl Mellen, Lindsey Cardoza and Tiffany Williams.
“Several strengths of the script include its witty banter and Luce’s incomparable style of writing,” added Franck-Reed, who portrays Countess De Lage and has previously appeared with the Human Race Theatre Company, Dayton Theatre Guild and Sinclair Community College. “In a cast of 20 women, I know we all have met some of these women through the course of our lives.”
Six years after “The Women” debuted on Broadway, Luce, a staunch conservative and the wife of magazine magnate Henry Luce, was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. She later served as U.S. Ambassador to Italy. In 1983, President Ronald Reagan awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in the country. She was the first female member of Congress to receive the award.
WANT TO GO?
What: "The Women"
Where: Dayton Playhouse, 1301 E. Siebenthaler Ave., Dayton
When: March 10-19; 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays
Cost: $18 for adults; $16 for seniors, students and military.
Tickets/more info: Call (937) 424-8477 or visit online at www.daytonplayhouse.com
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