Review - Ripcord

I have to admit, I'm finally exhausted after all my outings and am having a hard time even using my brain just a little to write another review.  Let's see how it goes...

I'm a big fan of David Lindsay-Abaire's, I just think he's such a skilled playwright.  Whether he's writing in his ultra-realistic mode, like in Good People, or his wacky surreal mode, like Fuddy Meers, his characters and dialogue are always grounded in such truth.  I always recognize the people he writes about and find myself immediately engaged in their stories.  I've been wanting to see his new play, Ripcord, for a long time, but it was off TDF for quite a while.  When it opened up for last night, I jumped.  And I'm so glad I did - I had a great time!!

Ripcord is basically the story of two adversarial roommates in an upscale retirement home who make a bet to try to get one or the other out of the room, but that description doesn't really do justice to the nuances and layers in the story.  Yes, one roommate is reserved and private and the other is too chatty and overly-gregarious, but just assuming this is like a geriatric Odd Couple would be selling the play short.  There are themes of loss, forgiveness, acceptance, resilience and love, just to name a few.  I found the play genuinely funny (sometimes downright hysterical) and also genuinely touching.  That's a lovely balance to find.

photo credit: Joan Marcus

You would think that Holland Taylor and Marylouise Burke could play these roles in their sleep, but they don't rely on innate persona, they dig deep to find all the shadings and layers that make these women truly real and full of humanity.  Watching them think up and enjoy the machinations of their 'bet' is a pleasure, but as the pranks and hijinks start to escalate into more and more bitter territory, a fear and dread starts to color their responses.  No one thing is ever about only one thing, and it was so intriguing to me to try to figure out motive versus kneejerk response.  There were definitely a lot of surprises throughout the play and I was always delighted with where it took me.

The show is terrifically acted, not only by Taylor and Burke, but by the rest of the ensemble as well.  Nate Miller was very sweet as the retirement home employee (and his last line is KILLER); Rachel Dratch and Daoud Heidami were great as Burke's daughter and son-in-law, they really seemed to be family and simpatico with Marylouise Burke; and Glenn Fitzgerald, who I would love to see more onstage, was fantastic in several roles, most especially as a surprise visitor in the second act.  He's one of those actors who is just so real and natural, you immediately know the person he's playing.  His scene with Holland Taylor was amazing, so much going on in such a short amount of time.

I'm starting to run out of brain power, but suffice it to say, I really enjoyed myself at Ripcord and have been thinking about it (and giggling over the skydiving scene) since last night.  It runs at Manhattan Theatre Club until December 6, so I highly recommend you get yourself over there to see it.