Tara’s Informal Guide to Gainesville Theatre: “Women in Jeopardy”

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The Hippodrome Theatre’s Mainstage season continues with the southeastern premiere of Wendy MacLeod’s Women in Jeopardy. Based on the amount of laughter on the night that I went, it seems like the southeast is receiving the play pretty well so far.

What

The play opens with best friends and 40-something year old divorcees Jo and Mary meeting their third best friend’s new boyfriend. In the typical fashion of friends who eliminate their filters when they enter a new relationship, Liz boasts about her sexual reawakening and newfound happiness.

Enter Jackson, a crude ninja-star toting, woofing, and straight-up bizarre dentist. As soon as they hear that the missing woman all over the news was his co-worker, Jackson becomes Mary and Jo’s prime suspect. While Liz dismisses their suspicions as jealousy, they attempt to pair up with a string of characters equally as clueless as Liz.

Homages tossed to the traditional comedic formula include a cameo appearance of dysfunctional young love and obligatory “hey, we still got it!” jokes whenever the young characters draw attention to the three protagonists’ ages. Murder and a few clichés aside, there are also great messages of women empowerment and zinging one-liners verging on dark.  It’s an upbeat show that provides an easy entry point for people who are going to the theatre for the first time, or the fiftieth.

Extra Culture Points: I think the most fun would come out of watching this show with a group of close friends: single, married, or otherwise. Let the Milano cookies and Sex and the City reruns rest for the evening and take Ladies’ Night to the theatre!  Bonus points if you take the Liz of your friend group for a nuanced performance of how not to act when swooning over a new companion.

Where

The Hippodrome’s mainstage, which provides a 180-degree view of the stage, is perfect for seeing characters’ reactions as they move through the scene. So much so, that when the characters start sipping wine in Mary’s kitchen, you almost feel out of place without a drink. Luckily The Hippodrome re-opens their bar during intermission if you’re looking for a full immersive experience.

 Who

Being the type of person who loves feeling uncomfortable while watching something, the dentist is a showstopper. He’s like a Michael Scott gutted of his few redeeming social qualities. As such, I feel like he’s not in the story enough since the actor also plays the police detective working the murder crime that launches the plot, but maybe that’s a good thing. The show is never dull between laughing at other characters’ well-written personality quirks and marveling at how Mary and Jo seem to be the only sane people in this story’s universe.  I remember some of the actors from Clybourne Park and they are equally fantastic in this.

Women in Jeopardy plays through March 13th. Call 352-375-4477 or go to thehipp.org to order tickets, which are only $15 for students.  Cheers to that.

 

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