Review: RIPCORD At Florida Repertory Theatre

Florida Repertory Theatre's production of RIPCORD, directed by Florida Rep's Associate Artistic Director Jason Parrish, tells the hilarious tale of two women of a certain age as they battle it out over a bet.

"Golden girls" Abby and Marilyn at first seem complete opposites, though as the play progresses, the audience gets to learn more about the similarities between their lives and why they have certain outlooks on life. When Marilyn moves into Abby's room in an assisted living facility, Abby wants Marilyn out so she can have her own room, and Marilyn wants the bed by the window. they decide to place a bet - if Marilyn can scare Abby first, she wins, but if Abby can make Marilyn angry first, then she wins.

This is a stellar cast. Abby is played by Sara Morsey, and Marilyn by Viki Boyle. These two actors are part of Florida Rep's ensemble, and they are loved by so many local theatregoers - and for good reason. They are both absolutely brilliant and hilarious. Their comedy is so nuanced, and thoroughly enjoyable. The timing, delivery, and the way they play off of each other is fantastic. I could not imagine two better actors for these roles. The rest of the cast includes Jason Blackwater as Derek/Butler/Masked Man, Darian Dauchan as Scotty, Kim Morgan Dean as Colleen/Woman in White, and Gerritt VanderMeer as Benjamin/Lewis/Clown. I really loved the relationship between Scotty and Marilyn. Dauchan does a wonderful job portraying Scotty - he was upbeat and positive, and brought the perfect emotion to the stage in the more serious scenes. Jason Blackwater and Kim Morgan Dean primarily play Marilyn's daughter and son-in-law, but we also see them as spooky characters in the "fright house" scene, which was a lot of fun. They were both excellent in their roles, and I also really enjoyed their performances. Gerritt VanderMeer took on three incredibly different characters in this show, and he did a fabulous job. From the creepy clown in the fright house, to one of Marilyn's sons, and then to Abby's son, each one was so distinct and carried so much personality. He was truly a pleasure to watch perform.

Alongside Jason Parrish as the Director of this production, the rest of the creative team includes Jim Hunter as the Set Designer, Stefanie Genda as the Costume Designer, Rob Siler as the Lighting/Projection Designer, Katie Lowe as the Sound Designer, and Phill Madore as the Stage Manager. This creative team was superb. I really enjoyed the projections and how they worked to create different settings for different scenes, I loved the set, the music that played during scene transitions was perfect, and the costumes were fitting for each character. Each aspect of the show worked beautifully together to create a truly fantastic production.

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