In comedic 'Ladies League,' aging ungracefully but with good humor and a Southern accent
For those of us in our 50s, it can be hard to realize, and even harder to admit, that we're in what amounts to the downhill stretch of life. As Bob Dylan sang back in 1997, when he was 56, "It's not dark yet/ But it's gettin' there."
At any rate, different people react to the steady approach of old age in wildly different ways, something the writing team of Nicholas Hope, Jessie Jones and Jamie Wooten, aka Hope Jones Wooten, exploits to mildly comic effect in their new play "The Second-to-Last Chance Ladies League." The crowd-pleasing show runs through Sunday at Thalian Hall's studio theater under the direction of Terrie Hsu for Big Dawg Productions.
As Big Dawg director Steve Vernon noted before a performance of the show last weekend, the theater company's long relationship with the Hope Jones Wooten writing team means that Wilmington audiences are among the first in the country to get to see the trio's new show. I'm told that tickets are getting scarce, so act accordingly.
The play is a sequel to the 2013 Hope Jones Wooten comedy "Always a Bridesmaid," which you absolutely do not need to have seen to enjoy "Ladies League."
If we're being honest, the script, which aspires to be "Steel Magnolias" but is more like a Southern-style version of "The Golden Girls," isn't a Pulitzer Prize threat. The story has retired judge Deedra Wingate (Shannon Playl) looking for her next chapter in life, which she finds as the new owner of the Laurelton Oaks wedding and events center in Virginia.
Naturally, Deedra's three best friends — tree-hugging Charlie (Erin Hunter), sweet Libby Ruth (Krista Rivenbark) and trainwreck-in-motion Monette (Tamica Katzmann) — pledge their moral and actual support to help make Deedra's dream come true. In addition to a personal crisis or two, conflict arrives when Deedra's idea to expand the offerings at Laurelton Oaks goes off the rails after a memorial service and a bachelorette party are booked on the same day.
The four friends are all in their 50s, though the women playing them appear to be much younger, with veteran Wilmington actress Deb Bowen as Sedalia, the no-nonsense longtime manager of Laurelton Oaks.
The characters aren't particularly well-developed, which doesn't give the cast much room to manuever. But the actresses are game and each one gives an arc to how each character finds a little peace and acceptance when it comes to growing older.
The script also pairs some outrageous twists with painfully bad puns ("My kingdom for a hearse!") and dialogue that often sounds more like writing than talking.
It's all pleasant enough, with a few legit laughs, a couple of fun sight gags and some commendable production values, including sound design by Chad Hsu (good rain effects) and a compact, effective set by Terry Collins.
Stephanie Scheu Aman's ho-hum costumes in Act One give way to inspiration in Act Two, when the ladies host a party for JohnCon, a business convention for a toilet-selling company, setting us up for fun visual takes — and even more puns — regarding Elton John, Olivia Newton-John, John Adams and other Johns of history.
Want to go?
What: "The Second-To-Last Chance Ladies League," by Nicholas Hope, Jessie Jones and Jamie Wooten, presented by Big Dawg Productions.
When: 7:30 p.m. May 30-June 2, 3 p.m. June 3
Where: Ruth and Bucky Stein Studio Theatre, Thalian Hall, 310 Chestnut St., Wilmington
Info: Tickets at 910-632-2285 or ThalianHall.org.
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Big Dawg's 2nd-to-Last Chance Ladies League, Thalian Hall, Wilmington
