Director Mary Job, with Jeff Miller and Joe Dickson have created a truly vacation-worthy set with all the trimmings. And then Amy (LeAnn Dethlefsen) breaks in through the window. This perfect setting — where she and her friends felt “honest, free and connected” during their long past college summers — is going to be disturbed in funny and touching ways.
A longtime friend has died, and three friends “of a certain age” are forced, as director Mary says in her note, “to try to deal with a situation gone hilariously wrong…with wit, wiles and copious amounts of beer.” We spend the first act getting to know these different-yet-bonded friends: Gay Oliver as Sian the people-pleasing mother, Emily English Clark as Caroline, the sincere but often exasperated career woman, and the devoted breaking-and-entering friend with a mission, Amy (LeAnn.) We piece together the story of their friend Nancy’s demise with hints of a mysterious complication to come. Younger sister of the deceased, Shep (Erin Hoffman) crashes the party with hilarious exuberance, and kicks the chaos up a notch, challenging existing relationships. All four of these actresses are at the top of their game, and well matched and paced by director Mary.
You don’t want to know TOO much before you experience this Annie Martin script (like what role Rick Dethlefsen plays.) Just be ready to laugh and love these ladies as they deal with death in their different ways, combining anger and sadness, hate and love.
Summer Retreat continues through August 18 (and it’s a bargain at $10/$8 senior/$6 student)
Tickets at the door or at http://www.overtheledge.org