Celebrating 25 Years of RUMORS at Chaffin's Barn Dinner Theatre

Opening night quickly approaches at Nashville's historic Chaffin's Barn Dinner Theatre - which this year celebrates its 50th season - for Neil Simon's Rumors, first produced on the iconic and completely magical floating stage in 1991.

While the initial cast of the popular Broadway farce, directed by Rene Copeland (now producing artistic director of Nashville Repertory Theatre) is memorable - even 25 years later, the hilarity that ensued when Brian Russell, Martha Wilkinson, Mikael Byrd, Rona Carter, Ruth Cartlidge, Ken Thompson, Linda Wylie, Lenny Phelps and Derek Whittaker took the stage - there's no doubt that the 2016 ensemble will rival them with their own, unique takes on Simon's wonderfully daft characters. Director Lydia Bushfield's cast includes Bradley Moore, Joy Tilley-Perryman, Jenny Norris Light, Chase Miller, Charlie Winton, Linda Speir and Mike Scott, along with the returning Wilkinson and Whittaker (who also has appeared in productions of Rumors in 2001 and 2010 at The Barn).

Wilkinson has the special opportunity to revisit the same role she originally played, Claire Ganz, and Whittaker gets a promotion from beat cop to the show's male lead Lenny Ganz. The two veteran actors and seasoned stage comics found time amid a crazy-busy rehearsal schedule (Wilkinson was just closing out her run in Nashville Rep's Chicago - which paired her once again with Rene Copeland as her director - and Whittaker was in the midst of tech week for the Middle Tennessee State University, where he is an adjunct professor, production of West Side Story in which he played Doc) to recall some favorite memories and look ahead to the farcical adventure still to come.

To whet your appetite for some new rumor-mongering, here's a snippet rom my review of the 1991 production of Rumors at Chaffin's Barn Dinner Theatre: "A wonderfully talented cast and strong direction by Rene Dunshee Copeland make the Chaffin's Barn production of Neil Simon's Rumors a thoroughly delightful evening of theater.

"...It's a wonderful set-up for a night of hilarity, here performed with style and panache by a cast of the region's best professional actors. Chief among them is the ever-charming Martha Wilkinson who gives what is probably her best comic turn to date, her timing impeccable, her delivery deftly on target. As Claire Ganz, Wilkinson is an attractive foil for Brian Russell's inspired performance as her husband Lenny.

"Derek Whittaker rounds out the cast with his Chaffin's Barn debut as Officer Welch, the one voice of calm reason in this farce.

"Copeland's direction makes good use of the intimate Barn staging area and her blocking of scenes heightens the excitement of slamming doors, mistaken identities and totally ludicrous situations."

First, tell me the role you played in 1991 and the role you're playing now...

Martha Wilkinson: Claire (1991) and Claire (2016)

Derek Whittaker: Officer Welch (1991) and Lenny (2016) [Editor's Note: Whittaker also played Glenn in 2001 and Ken in 2010.]

What's the biggest change you've encountered thus far in the process of bringing the show to life again?

Martha W: I was younger. That changes everything! No, seriously, folks...performing with a different cast makes things come to life differently, of course. And I have a better understanding now of what's funny.

Derek W: Developing my own rhythm and an individual take on the lines I've heard delivered so often before by three talented actors and friends - Brian Russell (1991), Bobby Wyckoff (2001) and Mike Baum (2010). Simon writes in such distinct rhythms and much of this process has been about discovering an effective rhythm for the set-ups and punchlines, as well as the very tight pace necessary for farce. I don't want to re-invent the wheel - as a wise friend once said, "if it works, steal it" - so, while these prior "Lennys" have surely influenced me, I hope to make the part my own and deliver these great lines with both honesty and strong timing.

What's your favorite memory of the first time you did the show?

Martha W: Well, we were onstage, a scene had just occurred where we made up that Lenny (played by Brian Russell then) was watching a TV show on Hitler upstairs. About that time, Ernie (Ken Thompson) was supposed to enter - he didn't. We all started trying to ad lib and cover when Glenn (Lenny Phelps) says to Brian: "Lenny, tell us about that show on Hitler," then I said, "Ya know, I'm gonna go see if Ernie's okay." I exit and find Ken in the buffet, I ask if he's ready to come on now and we entered and continued...

My other fun memory is Rene Copeland (the director - and the first time I had worked with her) taking me out front of The Barn to teach me how to do a spit take. Good times!

Derek W: It was such an honor to be included in an incredible ensemble, many of whom I've continued to work with over the years and who are still close friends to this day. I learned a lot about comedy and I like to think they learned a lot from me about card playing, particularly Hearts. I had recently learned how to play Hearts thanks to my good friend, Mitch Kincaid, and I brought my cards on every trip to Bellevue. We might have had a beer or three after the show, I can't remember.

What's the most enlightening part of revisiting a show and script a second time?

Martha W: I think that this seems to have been the start to those living room comedies so prevalent today...though this is in the style of farce, I see similarities in new comedies of the 2000s.

Derek W: Or a third...or fourth...Rumors is one of only a small handful of shows that I've had the luck to revisit, and the only one I've ever done four separate productions of. It's been great to rediscover these funny and eccentric characters. It's also a unique experience to get to look at the show from so many different perspectives, hopefully finding a reality and a likability for these people who are under extreme circumstances and, as a result, spend a good portion of the evening at odds with each other. I'm happy to be working with director Lydia Bushfield again (Cookie in 2001, Claire in 2010) as she has directed me a number of times, dating back to 1999's Any Wednesday, still one of my favorite productions. I'm also delighted to be married to Martha again (we were husband and wife in 2003's Situation Comedy, and in Chicago and Run For Your Wife, both in 2007).

Both of you have worked continuously at The Barn over the past quarter century, what's your favorite memory of that time?

Martha W: Family! I have made so many tried and true friends there over the years. But hanging out at the bar after shows and on the lanai has always been so special to me. There are too many memories to mention; I seriously could write a novel! Kissing Bobby Wyckoff, a mouse crawling up Bobby's arm onstage, anything with Adam Burnett, cast parties at John's house, Murder at the Howard Johnson's with Bobby and [David] Compton and me having the hiccoughs, etc....

Derek W: Performing Rumors during September, 2001, was a defining moment in my life. We had a bought house on the morning of 9/11, just a few hours after the Twin Towers had fallen. Talk about focus. If we didn't know how to do it before, we learned how to do it that day. The cast included Kelly Lapczknski, Richard Daniel, Bobby Wyckoff, Kim Thornton Nygren, Juli Ragsdale Jacobson, Joseph Collins, Lydia Bushfield and Carter Thrower. That morning was all about not trying to think about New York and what might lie ahead. That whole run was pretty unique. Carter had a heart attack and had to be replaced by two different actors, one of whom was Eric Tichenor, our director. Eric also did the closing night performance as Claire, because Kim lost her voice.

What does The Barn mean to you on a personal level?

Martha W: It's my family.

Derek W: It is a place of magic, love and family; blood, sweat and tears; some of my greatest joys and greatest sorrows. I saw Michael Edwards perform as Tevye in Fiddler On The Roof during my first trip to the Barn (1978 or '79, maybe) and I fell in love with the place. The magic stage, the actors who served you before the show, the rustic atmosphere, the buffet - it made a big impression on me. I saw a number of shows throughout the mid-1980s and was always struck with a sense of wonder when I walked in the door. The drive out there - back when there no other businesses and very few homes, just long stretches of highway - it was like taking a magical journey through Oz. And when you got there, you were treated like one of the family. They welcomed you with a meal, gathered you in a circle and shared stories with you. The Barn is a place of theatrical magic.

What does The Barn mean to you on a professional level?

Martha W: Oh, my gosh! I don't think I would be who I am as an actor today without The Barn. So much opportunity and support as well as growth and insight as a performer and a director.

Derek W: I have learned so much at the Barn; how to focus in the face of numerous distractions; how to sell comedy; how to listen, how to project and how to be believable onstage; how to perform in the round - when to give folks face and how to act with your back, or "backting" as I like to call it; how to wait tables; how to hustle up and down the steps in the aisles, to hit the stage or the top of the aisle at just the right moment without taking a header or taking down bathroom-bound patrons.

Of everyone you've worked with at The Barn, who has had the biggest impact on your life and/or career?

Martha W: Oh, wow...besides the support, love and trust I get from John Chaffin, I'd say Rene Copeland.

Derek W: Rene Copeland - I'm lucky to call her friend to this day and have been fortunate to have worked with her on a number of different productions in recent years with Nashville Rep. She remains one of the best directors I've ever had the honor of working with throughout my 25 years as a professional actor.

Why should people come see Rumors?

Martha W: Cuz it's damn funny, it's an outstanding cast and laughter is the best medicine and antidote to this election mess!

Derek W: Because it's a funny script with a great ensemble of actors.

Dallas or Knots Landing?

Martha W: Knots Landing

Derek W: Dallas

About Rumors at Chaffin's Barn Dinner Theatre: Widely regarded as one of the most successful, prolific and performed playwrights in the world, Neil Simon might well be considered the best comedy playwright in American Theater and Nashville audiences at Chaffin's Barn Dinner Theatre will be able to revel in the coming weeks as one of Simon's best-loved plays is brought to life on the miraculous floating stage by a cast of award-winning actors.

Simon's Rumors - directed by Lydia Bushfield - stars Martha Wilkinson, Derek Whittaker, Bradley Moore, Joy Tilley-Perryman, Jenny Norris Light, Chase Miller, Charlie Winton, Linda Speir and Mike Scott, who will "not only keep your side splitting, but front and back splitting," promises a press release from Chaffin's Barn.

A synopsis of the play, which over the years has become one of the theater's most popular offerings, says: "At a large, tastefully appointed Sneden's Landing townhouse, the Deputy Mayor of New York has just shot himself. Though only a flesh wound, four couples are about to experience a severe attack of Farce. Gathering for their tenth wedding anniversary, the host lies bleeding in the other room and his wife is nowhere in sight. His lawyer, Ken and wife Chris must get "the story" straight before the other guests arrive. As the confusions and miss-communications mount, the evening spins off into classic farcical hilarity."

Rumors first premiered at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego on September 22, 1988. It opened on Broadway in November of that year at the Broadhurst Theatre, under the direction of Gene Saks.

Wilkinson and Whittaker, who were part of the first Barn cast of Rumors some 25 years ago, return to the venue to take on starring roles in the classic comedy.

Showtimes for Rumors are Thursday through Saturday Evenings: Buffet: 6-7:30 p.m., Show: 8 p.m.; Sunday Matinee: Buffet 12 noon, Show: 2 p.m.; Every Thursday Matinee: Doors Open at 11 a.m., with the show at noon. Tickets for Thursday's matinee are only $19 (bring your own lunch or order a box lunch for $8.50

Reservations are required by calling (615) 646-9977.