Review: Barnstable Comedy Club's 'Ripcord' is hilarious look at roommates, poignant side

BARNSTABLE ― “All this trouble for a room!” So say two feisty old women who share a space at the fictional Bristol Place Senior Living Facility. In “Ripcord,” a comedy just opening at the Barnstable Comedy Club, each woman is looking for victory in a sly little wager: one wants the room to herself; the other wants the bed by the window, so they create a subtle little competition, to see who can outwit and “unseat” the other. And what tricks they’ll get up to – in order to gain the upper hand.

Name of show:  “Ripcord”

Written by: David Lindsay-Abaire, directed by Ann M. Ring, presented by Barnstable Comedy Club.

What it’s about: Two older women share a room in a senior living facility of the type most of us have encountered once or twice in our travels. The relentlessly cheerful Marilyn (Karen McPherson), who’s just moved in, talks 24/7 to an already grouchy Abby (Linda Monchik), who tries unsuccessfully to fend her off by wearing earplugs. The story’s humor and humanity unfold as the pair create a competition to break the I-can’t-stand-this stalemate.  They agree: If Marilyn succeeds in making Abby angry, the latter will relinquish her bed by the window; If Abby can scare Marilyn, that lady will agree to move to a different room.

The two begin escalating the war, skirting around chaos. They up the ante with annoying phone calls, even slip some tranquilizers in the chowder, leading to a hilarious but could’ve-been-dangerous sky dive; destroy family mementos; fill the Sudoku squares with words; or post compromising personal information on the facility’s bulletin board. All elaborate jokes – with a cutting edge.

See it or not: See this fast-moving play and enjoy moments that are both funny and poignant. Travel slightly below the surface in the lives of these two combatants, watching unexpected visits from long-absent family members, and begin to see that each woman has endured past traumas and trials that helped lead to the exteriors they show the world today.

Highlights: Director Ann Ring has fashioned her team into, well, a great team. Multi-talented stage veterans McPherson and Monchik center the action, while Comedy Club newcomer Fredrik Voss works mighty well as health aide Scotty, keeping the two women from landing at each other's throats...... all part of the fun.

In one central scene, a Halloween spook-night theatrical performed for Bristol Place residents includes comic performances by all the other cast members, who play multiple roles in the show. Voss appears “in lights,” as you’ll see, and clowns, zombies and a ghostly woman in white materialize, compliments of hardy cast members Steve Lajoie, Sandra Basile and Frank Scanzillo. (That clown would scare anyone, I swear.) Cast members and director, however, land solidly on the sunny side of things. Through it all, you begin to sense the two women might not mind becoming friends – well, sometime.

Interesting fact(s): Playwright David Lindsay-Abaire is a multi-award-winning playwright, screenwriter and lyricist. Among many honors, he has won a Pulitzer (2007) for his play “Rabbit Hole,” and a Tony (2009) for Best Book, for “Shrek the Musical.”  His Broadway play “Good People” (2011) won four awards, including Best Play honors for the NY Drama Critics Circle.

If you go:  The comedy “Ripcord” performs at the Barnstable Comedy Club, 3171 Main St., Route 6A, Barnstable Village, through March 24. Performances are 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, with 2:30 p.m. Sunday matinees. Tickets: $25, $23 seniors and students. Call the box office: 508-362-6333, or visit barnstablecomedyclub.org

This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Review: Barnstable Comedy's 'Ripcord' shows base of humor is pathos