“Ripcord,” David Lindsay-Abaire’s comedy about two feisty elderly women, will open at the Hampton Theatre Company in Quogue next Thursday and run through April 3.
The action unfolds in a sunny room on a coveted upper floor of the Bristol Place Senior Living Facility. When the cantankerous Abby is forced to share her quarters with Marilyn, a new arrival with a sunny disposition, she sets out to get rid of the annoyingly chipper roommate by any means necessary. A seemingly harmless bet between the women soon escalates into a dangerous game of one-upmanship.
“ ‘Ripcord' is a great example of the kind of play that really appeals to me as a director: interesting, quirky characters in challenging but very funny circumstances who wind up going much deeper as they make their way through the comedic conflicts the playwright has set in their path,” said Andrew Botsford, who directs this production and is the company's president.
The cast of the theater company’s production includes Vincent Cinque in multiple roles, including Abby’s estranged son; Laurie Atlas as Abby, Claire Parrella-Curran as Marilyn, Matthew Schiavoni as the attendant, Lindsey Sanchez as Marilyn’s daughter, and Giovanni Sandoval as Marilyn’s son-in-law.
Sets are designed by Ricky Bottenus and Mr. Botsford, lighting by Sebastian Paczynski, sound by Seamus Naughton, and costumes by Teresa Lebrun.
The play was well received by The Arts Fuse, which called it inspirational. The Maryland Theater Guide described it as “lots of fun. . . a farce with a dark side."
Performances will take place Thursdays and Fridays at 7 p.m., Saturdays at 8, and Sundays at 2:30, with an additional matinee set for April 2. A conversation with the cast will follow the March 25 show.
Tickets are $36, $31 for senior citizens, and $20 for students 25 and under. Information about up-to-date safety protocols can be found at hamptontheatre.org.
