BWW Reviews: JAKE'S WOMEN Are A Very Unusual Group Of Ladies

Reviewed by Barry Lenny, Thursday 30th April 2015

The Galleon Theatre Group, long ago, decided to present their productions in a BYO supper, cabaret setting, with drinks available for purchase at the bar, and they haven't looked back. Yet again, I attended to find an almost full house of very happy patrons. As this production, Jake's Women, is a Neil Simon comedy, that happy mood was only ever going to get better as the evening progressed.

Jake is a writer with a very active imagination, so much so that the characters that he creates in his mind, his late first wife, his psychologist, his daughter, and others, become real to him. After eight years of marriage, things have become shaky, and his second wife, Maggie, suggests a six month separation. While she is away the lines between real and imaginary become not so much blurred as nonexistent.

We all have important, significant people in our lives, some who have left the corporeal plane, to whom we turn to in sleep, or daydream, wondering what they might say about situation. In Jake's case, his musings conjure more than thoughts and memories; he is faced with a physical presence. Yes, like Jake, we occasionally imagine conversations in our heads, but his refuse to stay there and are with him constantly.

Andrew Clark plays Jake, juggling conversations with his current wife, Maggie, and all of the women that only he, and we, the audience, can see and hear. Clark takes on a huge role, on stage for all but a few seconds during the performance, constantly conversing with one or more of the women. He convincingly conveys Jake's belief in these phantoms that beset him, even to the point of making physical contact with them, or making changes to the conversation to acquiesce to their insistence that it is not what they would have said. It is this, the fact that they seem to have a life of their own, that makes Jakes fantasy different. Clark superbly creates a character that holds the whole thing together as he swings between reality and imagination.

His wife, Maggie, another of the three living people in the play, is played by Mari Nield, and she presents a clear representation of a woman who is frustrated with the lack of attention and intimacy in her marriage to a man who is not living in the present, but in a fantasy world, wishing for the past that is long gone. Neild's wonderful portrayal is of a strong Maggie, a woman who will not settle for second best..

He also turns for advice to an imaginary version of his sister, Karen, well played by Joanne St. Clair, who is obviously the member of the family that got all of the good sense. St. Clair's interpretation of Karen is a down to earth and sensible woman who is fond of her brother, but not afraid to give him sound advice.

Chronology, of course, is of no importance to the imagination and so conjuring up his first wife, Julie, as she was when they were first married, and their daughter, Molly, both as she is now at twenty-one and as she was at the age of twelve, offers no incongruity. Molly, the older version played by Molly McCormack and the younger version played by Eilish Devlin, is/are called up when he needs some family support and encouragement, as well as an opinion. McCormack and Devlin succeed in creating characters that share enough similarities that it is believable that they are the same person, with enough traits that one would expect to see in a child and in an adult, showing clearly that they are at different ages, which is not an easy thing to do.

Edith, played by Laurie Mulgrew, is Jake's analyst and, when he cannot see her in person, he conjures her image up for an instant consultation. One cannot help thinking that some of her actions are straight from Jake's imagination, rather than a factual representation. Mulgrew brings a good degree of medical professionalism and detachment to the role but, although Edith is somewhat austere, there is also a degree of playfulness in Mulgrew's characterisation.

When he summons his first wife, Julie, played by Laura Antoniazzi, we discover the cause of his problems, the reason that he is having trouble maintaining a relationship. He is still clinging to the memory of her as she was long ago, a beautiful young woman full of life and energy, which is exactly the character that Antoniazzi portrays. Antoniazzi gives Clark all that he needs in her marvellous characterisation to enable him to give authenticity to Jake's attachment to Julie. This, of course, may even be an exaggerated memory, amplifying her best qualities and ignoring anything negative.

During the trial separation, Jake has been dating, but with no real connections being made, or any possibility of anything lasting, and Sheila, played by Anita Canala, is the latest in the list. She is also the only other real person in the play. Canala portrays Sheila as a sensible and sincere woman who seems to be hoping for a continuing relationship until, that is, they are suddenly no longer alone. As only Jake can see and hear his fantasy women, she believes that he is talking to her and Canala does a fine job of showing the confusion at the weirdness of their conversation, making a quick getaway.

Where this leaves Jake, his fantasies, and his ailing marriage to Maggie remains to be seen. In typical Neil Simon fashion, there is more to this play than mere superficial comedy. Director, Warren McKenzie, doesn't force the laughs, and takes full account of the depth of the issues within the script. There are plenty of poignant moments between the humorous passages.

The set consists of three rooms, the study, the living room and the bedroom, covering the entire stage, with the main door upstage centre opening into the living room. On either side of the door are cloth covered opening through which the phantom characters enter and depart, suggesting that they simply appear and vanish, with a considerable range of lighting, designed by Luke Budgen, to emphasise a particular room, or create an atmosphere for a scene.

This is another production that Galleon regulars are sure to enjoy. If you haven't seen one of their performances then this would be an ideal time to start.

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