By Chuck Graham, TucsonStage.com
photo by Ryan Fagan
From left, Emily Gates, Annette Hillman, Rhonda Hallquist, Richard Ivey, Missie Scheffman and Danny Quinones.
A loopy comedy that also has some serious content? How often does that happen?
Not nearly often enough, to be sure. But Live Theatre Workshop has one, skillfully directed by Roberto Guajardo, with an A-Team of LTW actors doing “Women in Jeopardy!” by Wendy MacLeod.
This is kind of an absurdist comedy that premiered in 2015, so don't expect too much logic. Just go with it and have fun as Jo (Annette Hillman), Mary (Rhonda Hallquist), Liz (Missie Scheffman) and Amanda (Emily Gates) make the most outrageous comments referencing everything from raw sex to Winnie the Pooh.
And Mormons. The story is set in Salt Lake City, so there are a few jokes about Mormons.
If that's not enough, there is also Danny Quinones as 19-year-old Trenner who delivers a hilarious airhead impression reminiscent of Keanu Reeves believing he's in a real-life sequel doing scenes with Mrs. Robinson from “The Graduate.”
The plot is a modern who-dun-it that will have Agatha Christy rolling over in her grave. To be honest, I still don't know who did it. But I was never very good at figuring out those things
However, if you are a compulsive plot-solver, there are clues provided at the very beginning which will become very important at the end. (That's what I heard some other audience members say.)
Although the plot is really the least important part of this show, here's how it goes. Jo, Mary and Liz are 40-something ladies with all the scars of past marriages, etc. As the play opens, Liz has a hot new boyfriend Jackson (Richard Ivey), a dentist that everyone agrees is a bit odd.
“Well, women are always desperate to marry doctors,” says Liz. “Why not dentists?”
Jo and Mary mumble their happiness for Liz. But they also notice in the news that Dr. Jackson's beautiful 22-year-old receptionist has been reported missing under suspicious circumstances. This is about the same time Liz announces she is so happy Jackson has taken such an avid interest in Liz's own daughter, 18-year-old Amanda.
Liz insists Jackson only wants to prove he will be a good parent to Amanda. And Amanda returns Jackson's attention because Amanda misses having a father. Besides, Amanda just broke up with her boyfriend, Trenner.
Quicker than you can say “Are they serious, or what?” we see that the police detective Kirk, who is investigating the missing dental hygienist, looks exactly like Dr. Jackson (both are played by Ivey).
We pause for a minute in this dissertation to point out that Liz's refusal to see the obvious flaws in her new boyfriend implies the desperation of some women of a certain age. And the suspicious reactions of Jo and Mary imply jealousy could be motivating their suspicions because they don't have any boyfriends at all.
Be advised, as well, that in the second act there is some rather graphic sexual talk. Not a lot, but still, it is in there.
So, once all this gets set up, Jo and Mary begin setting a trap to catch Jackson and save Amanda. This involves getting Trenner's help and, being a horny young guy who can't help himself, Trenner is quickly convinced what Mary really wants is for Trenner to seduce her.
Lubricating the plot's progression is dialogue filled with so many funny throw-away lines it starts to feel like the joke factory exploded. The next day after you see this play, you'll still be remembering some of the incidental humor.
MacLeod the playwright lets her dialogue run out casually, giving these actors the most outrageous things to say. This keeps the action brisk and everyone's expectations high for the next jaw-dropping comment. Happy to oblige, “Women in Jeopardy!” never lets you down.
The play continues through May 5, with performances at 7:30 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays, 3 p.m. Sundays, also 3 p.m. May 5, at Live Theatre Workshop, 5317 E. Speedway Blvd. Tickets are $20, with discounts available. For details and reservations 327-4242, or visit livetheatreworkshop.org
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