Chapter Two in Cedar Falls

Cedar Falls - Cedar Falls Community Theatre opens its production of Neil Simon's Chapter Two, directed by Joe Frenna, this weekend at Oster Regent Theatre.

"Recent widower, writer George Schneider, is encouraged by his younger brother Leo to start dating again. Which sends George into even more depression after a series of bad matches. Then Leo comes up with Jennie Malone and she's a keeper. Still, it's a bumpy trip on the road to Dreamland for these not-so-young lovers. George and Jennie stumble on, overcoming both their hesitation on the rebound and emotional neediness. In a hilarious, farcical subplot, Leo has a fling with Faye, Jennie's neurotic married friend."

Chapter Two runs August 10-11 and 18-19 at 7:30 (2:00 August 19) at the Oster Regent Theatre in Cedar Falls. Tickets are $20 ($10 students).

Auditions for Chapter Two July 1 & 2

Cedar Falls - Auditions for Neil Simon's Chapter Two are being held at Oster Regent Theatre (103 Main St. in Cedar Falls) on July 1 and 2. Joe Frenna directs.Chapter Two runs August 10-19. Email cfct@cfu.net with questions.

Hopefully not the final chapter

by Brad Quinn

ICCT - Although Neil Simon can pretty much be depended on for a laugh, this may be one of his more weighty offerings. I knew very little about this show going into it, but knowing Neil Simon in general I had some idea of what to expect. In many ways, I was wrong.

When the subject matter is divorce, adultery, and the death of a spouse, you can be assured that it’s not going to be all fun and games. So those of you looking for nothing but a laugh, this show may not be for you.

However, there is a lot to recommend this script for those of you who are looking for some depth to your comedy. Maybe it is hard to imagine a comedy which is anchored by death and marital strife, but Simon pulls it off with his usual flair. All that is needed is the right people to bring it to life.

Does ICCT’s presentation of Chapter Two achieve this? Yes…and no. I can say with certainty that the opening night show which I saw was absolutely crisp and the cast was firing on all cylinders. Unfortunately, the only real problem with that is that the supporting cast actually outshines the leads.

Without a doubt, Ken Van Egdon steals this show away from the rest of the cast, playing the part of Leo Schneider, the younger brother to the play’s romantic lead. Granted, with only four people in the cast this is not as hard to do, but his stage presence and comic timing set a standard that the rest have difficulty achieving. And just when you think his character is nothing but a comic foil, Van Egdon manages to reach deep and pull some real feeling out of a particularly emotional scene in the second act.

Robyn McCright also more than pulls her weight as Faye Medwick, best friend to the play’s female lead character. I have had the pleasure of seeing Ms. McCright in a number of other performances, and this one is truly her best yet. And it is a brave as well as comic performance…she performs one scene dressed in a flimsy negligee and another in nothing but a sheet. Other actresses might flinch from this but she charges at it straight ahead. Her scene with Van Egdon in the second act is probably the highlight of the show.

The two leads were played by David Pierce, as George Schneider, and newcomer Caroline Sheerin as Jennie Malone. It is to be hoped that Ms. Sheerin continues to pursue the theater now that she has returned to the stage after being absent since high school, as she shows a great deal of promise. Unfortunately, where this show really suffers is the lack of chemistry between the two romantic leads.

Pierce in particular seems out of place as George. Not that he doesn’t have the tools of a comic actor, but he is about 10 years too old for the part and seems a bit more milquetoast than the part would call for. The two together have no spark, and this becomes quite evident when they kiss onstage for the first time. It is difficult to play romance on the stage, but the challenge of such stage romances is that you really only have a very short amount of time to establish the relationship as legitimate in the audience’s eyes and you have to make use of every moment.

The story relies on this relationship to make it work. George is a writer who has recently lost his wife to an unnamed illness, and Jennie is an actress who has just been divorced. Neither is eager to start a new relationship, but through the machinations of brother Leo and friend Faye (and a happy accident) George and Jennie meet and begin a whirlwind romance that neither is particularly equipped for. The first act of the show details the background of these characters, including Leo and Faye, and is generally light-hearted and fun. The accidental first meeting between George and Jennie is particularly well written. However, the second act is much heavier on the drama and emotion and is more difficult for the audience to get in to (although not unrewarding for those who stay with it). There is also a subplot which, while in some ways seemingly unnecessary, actually threatens to become more interesting than the main plot.

At the end of it all, though, I do think the audience was well satisfied and got their evening’s entertainment out of it. Not only was the cast on fire for opening night, special mention has to be made for the set, beautifully constructed by Rich Riggleman. Riggleman is a veteran who has built many fine sets over the years for various local productions, but this one may be his finest. The set consists of two apartments side by side, and it was designed in such a way to allow them to share the same stage but be completely distinguishable from each other. Aiding in this endeavor is an apt lighting design by Andrew Couch. Each apartment has its own hallway lighting and interior lighting that are independent of each other and allow the audience to truly feel that they are separate spaces despite having no real boundaries between them.

There is the possibility that this show may be the last performance ICCT ever gives. I certainly hope that is not the case and that they rescue themselves from the financial trouble they find themselves in. If this does end up being their last show, it is certainly not an unworthy one. And I would recommend for anyone reading this to go see the show and enjoy it for what it is. For it may not be perfect, but it is still a fine evening’s entertainment.

Backstage with Chapter Two

ICCT - The cast and crew of Chapter Two are working hard to be ready for opening night of what could be ICCT's final show (see this post for more information about that). The main character of this lesser known Neil Simon play, George, is a widower who is still recovering to some extent, but decides it may be time for a new beginning. He becomes involved with a woman who is recently divorced and not sure if she is ready for another romance so soon. Eventually they meet because of his brother and her best friend and hit it off and maybe a little too well. We took some time to talk to Brian Tanner, director of the show, and David Pierce, who plays the lead character, George.

David, tell me about your character. What's he like? Was it difficult to get into his skin?

David: George is a writer. He loves turning a phrase, loves verbal combat. He's trying to put the memory of his late wife behind him, though his success at that is open to question. He works too hard to put his new love into the mold of his late wife, without much success, and his attempts cause him to be more than a bit of a jerk at times. Those have been the toughest scenes to get into; even in meaty parts, it's tough to let go and be an ass, particularly when your co-star is so sweet and does such a great job of crying onstage.

How has this experience been similar to or perhaps different from other ICCT experiences?

David: Well, it's the first performance since my first couple of productions where I wasn't a member of the ICCT board. That's provided a different perspective, though I'm not sure you really want me to get into that. I will say that I feel more like an outsider with this production than I have since those first few productions. I don't mean that in a bad way - everyone has been absolutely wonderful about welcoming me back to the stage. Another difference is simply the cast size. This is the smallest cast I've been a part of at ICCT. It's nice; it allows you to get to interact with the people you're working with far more than a large cast does.

Can you talk about the rehearsal process for this show?

Brian: We spent the first week just working with the script, reading it and doing character analysis. I really enjoy exploring characters in this way and I think it's a big help for the actors. If the cast can understand their characters better, then that is going to show through in their performance. It's important to me that they know their character's wants, needs, where they've been, and where they are going. Not only of their own part but in relation to all the others'. I tend to ask a lot of behavioral questions early on and there's not always a right answer.

I think the character work paid off because all four of the actors really hit the ground running when we got into the scene work. I say we did rough blocking because much of the play is very conversational between two characters, and so we needed to follow the flow of the dialogue about when it felt right to move from one place to another and when to stay still. This cast has been very much fun to work with and very open to this rehearsal process.

What was it like working with Brian?

David: Brian has been great. He's been really open to all of our suggestions, yet can put his foot down in a very nice manner when he needs or wants to do so. He did a great job of casting the show, if I do say so myself, which has led to us being ahead of the pace for most of the rehearsal process. I really appreciated the way he used the first few rehearsals to help us focus on who our characters were.

What moments in this play stand out for you?

Brian: I really like the phone exchange between George and Jennie where they talk on the phone for the first time before meeting face to face. You really get to see this progression of two characters suddenly finding each other and there's a very sweet quality to it. On the flip side they have a couple very dynamic scenes when they are married and really hash some stuff out. They both have heavy emotional baggage from previous relationships and there are some passionate exchanges. There's a lot of emotion in this script and the cast is doing a great job letting it all out there.

Were there any moments that were particularly challenging for you?

David: There are a couple of things in Act Two. One of those is the thing I mentioned above, where George has to be more than a little of an insensitive jerk. The other comes at the end of the play. I had to struggle to find a way that the outcome made sense to me as opposed to being a tacked on happy ending. I found that internally; I hope it comes across to the audience.

Brian, tell us about your actors...what was their process like? What surprised you?

Brian: I've worked briefly with David on a couple other shows and have seen Ken in a number of ICCT productions. Their reputations proceeded them and they certainly filled the bill. I worked with Robyn the most, both as a fellow cast member and as a director. It's been a pleasure to watch her grow over the past year or so and I think she was ready to handle this role. All of these characters are complex and deep and they all get their moments to shine. Which leads me to Caroline. She hasn't done a whole of lot of theater recently but there were certain things that stood out for me in her audition and I'm happy that we were able to expand on these in the show. She has been holding her own, if not raising the bar, for the other three folks in the cast. I think she's going to raise a lot of eyebrows and has a bright future in our theater community. That's not to say that the others aren't doing well, everyone is bringing their "A" game to this show and it's paying off well.

What's your take on your fellow actors, David?

David: I don't share any scenes with Robyn, which is a shame, cause she's a fun person to hang around the set with. Ken, who plays my brother, has been a blast to share the stage with. While our scenes together aren't entirely comedic, there are a lot of nice comedy beats when we are onstage and he has been great to work with on those. And I can't say enough about Caroline. She's an extremely talented actress, with a light comedic touch as well as an intense dramatic side. She's got good stage sense. We've bounced ideas back and forth off each other, and her instincts are good. Brian gets credit for a real find here.

What have you learned about the show or about yourself through this experience?

Brian: I feel like I always take away something from each show that I work on, whether it's working the sound board or directing. I learn a lot from those I work with like Rich [Riggleman], who did the set design and Rachael [Lindhart], who did the costumes. They're very good at what they do and I really enjoy working with them. One of the reasons I was attracted to the show was that it was about adults in love, and not the traditional boy meets girl type of romance. These are not people discovering love for the first time, they have been around the block. They've been hurt, they have defenses, and they need to work things out in order to progress. I liked that complexity and nothing is ever black and white. It can certainly make you think about your own personal relationships and reflect on those.

ICCT has had its difficulties lately. If this turns out to be the last show ever for ICCT, how would you feel about that?

David: I'd be quite sad if this were the last ICCT show. I know I've been away for awhile, and that my times there weren't always that great, but I have a great deal of fondness for ICCT. I'd hate to see it go away, although in a strange way, it'd be an honor to be a part of the last ICCT show. I hope it doesn't come to that, though. I plan on donating, and hope anyone reading this will give what they can to keep ICCT alive.

Brian: Yeah, it would be a dubious distinction I can't say that I would feel the best about. I'm certainly honored to be included in this season and if it is the last show, I'm grateful for the opportunity to have been included in this long and illustrious run. I think this show is a great way to end the season but I would be sad if it were the end of something that should be embraced more by the community. Theater is meant to entertain, to inspire, to create, and explore. It should be a reciprocal relationship. The theater should enrich the community, and the community should keep the theater alive. The arts are there for all of us. I remember a line from "Mr. Holland's Opus" when they were cutting the music program. The Vice Principal said "If I'm forced to choose between Mozart and reading and writing and long division, I choose long division." and Mr. Holland replies, "Well, I guess you can cut the arts as much as you want, Gene. Sooner or later, these kids aren't going to have anything to read or write about." I think that's very true. I would love to see the community support their local theater. Also, it doesn't seem that ICCT gets the same support from Iowa City that City Circle gets from Coralville. ICCT is basically left up to it's own devices to try to keep things going. They aren't related to the University or generally a part of the downtown district so that puts them at a disadvantage. I know that there is currently a drive to save the theater and I really hope that the community will rally for something that has been giving to them for over 50 years.

David: You know, even if the worst happens, I don't think ICCT will go away forever. If this version of ICCT folded, I don't think it would be too long before a new ICCT rose from the ashes.

Check out Chapter Two at ICCT beginning this Friday!

Chapter Two auditions this weekend

ICCT - ICCT has announced auditions for their production of Neil Simon's Chapter Two. Auditions will be February 27 at 1:00 pm and February 28 at 7:00 pm, with call backs March 1 at 7:00 pm at the Iowa City Recreation Center.

In Chapter Two, Neil Simon tells the story of George Schneider, a writer, who is still suffering from his wife's death. His brother Leo has been unsuccessful in matching George up with someone new. Then George meets a Jennie, a young, struggling actress who has recently divorced and coming to terms herself with the loss of love. The two fall head over heels and into marriage. Chapter Two is a heartfelt comedy about adults attempting to move on and discover if true love can really happen a second time. It is directed by Brian Tanner and assisted by Kathy McDonald.

Characters:
George Schneider, playwright
Leo Schneider, George's brother
Jennie Malone, actress
Faye Medwick, actress, Jennie's friend

In the script the characters are described as 30's to 40's; interested actors should consider auditioning as the final cast will depend on the dynamic and relationship between the actors.

Auditions will consist of readings from the script. If you have any questions, please contact Brian at brntnn@aol.com.