Triple threats to marriage, through the eyes of Neil Simon

Publicity photo from www.triplethreatacademy.com

Triple Threat Productions, in association with Fine Arts Network, closed its run of Neil Simon’s “Jake’s Women” at the Old Town Temecula Community Theater on Sunday, August 16th. The house was small, less than half the seats occupied during the Sunday matinee, but the actors’ spirits were large, giving solid performances throughout.

The writing is quintessential Simon, with moments that recall his earlier works like “Chapter Two,” Plaza Suite,” and “California Suite.” “Jake’s Women” opened on Broadway in 1992 and became a teleplay in 1996, both productions starring Alan Alda in the title role.

In his personal life, Simon has been married five times and marriage difficulties are recurring themes in many of his works. In “Jake’s Women,” the threats to Jake’s marriage with Maggie are infidelity, workaholism, and too much time spent apart (three and four months at a time). An aging writer, Jake has been conjuring the women from his past when he needs them to get through his present crises. Of course, these delusions become the major part of the problem of the play.

The convention isn’t new, either. These part real/part imaginary characters who seem to have their own objectives remind us of Pirandello or even more strongly of Fellini, in the second act. The play works on several levels, but it doesn’t give us anything we haven’t seen before and may even be a bit cliché. There are a few excellent lines that remind us that this is indeed a comedy. Simon’s conclusion is rather abrupt, as well, providing us with a happy ending in the dramatic action that wasn’t exactly earned.

The play is well-cast by director Joseph Arreola, with Kristen Mowry, Thomas Miller, Erika Czach, and Jennifer Arreaola leading the way. Mowry plays Maggie with strength, charm, and clarity; she moves from past to present with ease, revealing the character’s growth and maturity in the process. Miller has the difficult task of playing the title character who rarely leaves the stage (if he does, the female characters cease to be): “Where I go, my thoughts go with me.” He does an admirable job playing a character who is self-consumed and living in the “self-pity” that he cautions against, as a writer. Self-pity is generally not endearing to an audience, yet Miller finds a way, particularly in the second act to bring that around to make us care. Erika Czach’s performance of Molly is full of confidence and honesty. The scene between her and Jennifer Arreola, who plays Julie, in the second act, is heart-wrenchingly beautiful. Arreola does an excellent job playing the character who is the least real for us in a most truthful way. The cast is completed with fine performances by Jennifer Kopack (Karen), Haley Gilliland (Edith), Bri Dennison (Sheila) and Annie Kopack (Younger Molly)—a role alternately performed by Abby Kopack.

The set design served the play well, giving the right amount of realism (bottles and ice cubes on the bar) and abstract representation (open-bottom risers and color changes on the back curtain). The ground plan was a bit perplexing, if not distracting. As the wing-armed sofa and the over-stuffed rocker took center stage, the actors were asked to circle the set pieces throughout the play, rarely sitting. A favorite and often used acting area was behind the sofa. Some of the most beautiful staging moments were placed upstage of the sofa, where an audience in the front rows could see only the head and chest of the actors.

The play is well-done and enjoyable and, at times, a difficult semi-autobiographical journey. Overall, the production is worth seeing, mostly for the smart and focused performances of the cast. These are talented people who have the potential to become quite excellent in their craft.

I would be remiss in not mentioning the production team; however the program seems to be incomplete without a credit for designers, operators, or crew. As well, there is no mention of the requisite performance rights credit.

This production continues in subsequent weeks, with performances on August 21st and 22nd at Vista Murrieta High School  at 7:00 PM and September 4th and 5th at Frangipani Estate Winery  at 8:00 PM.