Stray Dog Theatre finds fun, poignancy in ‘Ripcord’ (2024)

Play:“Ripcord”

Company:Stray Dog Theatre

Venue: Tower Grove Abbey, 2336 Tennessee Ave., St. Louis

Dates:June 13 to 16, 20 to 22

Story:Abby Binder is none too pleased with her new roommate, Marilyn Dunne, at Bristol Place Senior Living Facility. Actually, Abby is never happy with her roommates, preferring to have her two-bed room to herself.

That’s not going to happen, though, because Bristol Place has its rules, and everyone needs to conform. Abby complains incessantly to Scotty, the attendant who works at Bristol Place. He informs Abby that his predecessor, whom Abby misses because he supposedly agreed with her myriad diatribes, has left the company and can no longer be of service to her. If, indeed, he ever was.

Anyway, Abby’s series of insults don’t seem to affect Marilyn, who tells Abby that she never gets angry because that leads to an “ugly place, and I don’t care for ugly places.” Furthermore, Marilyn’s sunny disposition only aggravates the taciturn Abby.

In turn, Abby tells Marilyn that she isn’t afraid of anything, given all the disappointments the retired teacher has experienced in her life. She’s sent many a roommate away with her icy, unpleasant demeanor, and she isn’t going to let Marilyn “nice” her way into her retirement abode.

When Marilyn requests that she have the bed nearest the window and the scenic view that it offers, Abby has had enough. She suggests that they make a bet: If Abby can anger Marilyn, then the latter will have to vacate the room. On the other hand, if Marilyn elicits fear in Abby, then Marilyn gets the bed by the window.

That sets the stage for an ever-escalating series of pranks, practical jokes and downright dangerous events, sometimes quite cruel, all designed to bring the victor a curious sense of satisfaction and superiority. Will either of them really win this destructive game?

Highlights:Stray Dog Theatre artistic director Gary F. Bell turns to a work by the usually reliable, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright David Lindsay-Abaire for an evening of well-played if not intellectually challenging entertainment for the company’s appreciative Tower Grove Abbey audience.

Other info:Lindsay-Abaire has an impressive resume, which boasts such literary highlights as “Rabbit Hole” (2007 Pulitzer Prize for Drama), “Kimberly Akimbo” (2000 play, 2021 Tony Award-winning musical), “Wonder of the World,” “Fuddy Meers,” “Good People” and “High Fidelity.” All of those pieces, whether musical, comedy or drama, are better than the rather pedestrian “Ripcord,” which debuted Off-Broadway in 2015.

The latter is pretty much a standard sitcom, even with its serious moments which, again, a good situation comedy can at times deliver. While both Abby’s and Marilyn’s characters seem rather one-dimensional in this slow-moving piece, Stray Dog’s rendition, under Bell’s careful and studied guidance, does generate plenty of laughs as well as some more poignant moments, especially in the second act.

That’s when the story’s best scene, between Abby and her estranged son Benjamin, occurs thanks to the increasingly hostile war of pranks between her and Marilyn. After far too long a period of enduring Abby’s mean-spirited approach to life, Lindsay-Abaire finally delivers a raison d’etre for her behavior.

In Stray Dog’s faithful interpretation, Annie Bayer succeeds in that scene in turning a consistently negative, dyspeptic character into one with some depth, albeit long dormant. Bayer and Jeremy Goldmeier as Benjamin are affecting, poignant and appealing in their portrayals of two damaged people attempting to salvage a relationship.

Jan Mantovani fills the bubbly Marilyn with an unstoppable effervescence, which Lindsay-Abaire gradually reveals has a disturbing basis, thus moving Marilyn beyond the goofy caricature in the first act. Mantovani’s reactions to those revelations help the audience understand why Marilyn is who she is.

The terrific supporting cast includes Victor Mendez as the patient, genial Scotty, an employee who approaches his work with care and compassion even when up against Abby’s hostility. Donna Parrone and Matt Anderson nicely portray Marilyn’s amiable daughter Colleen and agreeable son-in-law Derek, respectively, who (along with Marilyn’s silly son Lewis, portrayed by Goldmeier) operate the family’s skydiving business that was founded by Marilyn’s late husband.

Rob Lippert’s impressive scenic design depicts a spacious apartment, complete with stock, institutional paintings adorning the walls and handsomely illuminated by lighting designer Tyler Duenow. Colleen Michelson designed the costumes including Marilyn’s loud, upbeat attire to offset Abby’s drab décor, and Justin Been’s sound design is pleasingly eclectic.

“Ripcord” is nowhere near the level of most of Lindsay-Abaire’s more substantial works. It’s pleasant enough for what it is, though, namely an evening of entertainment with a dollop or two of surprising depth.