Rumors
By: Neil Simon
Directed by: Eddy Herring
Produced by: Garland Civic Theatre
Audience Rating: PG-13
Running Time: 2 hrs with 15 minute intermission
Accessible Seating: Available
Hearing Devices: Not Available
Sensory Friendly Showing: Not Available
ASL Showing: Not Available
Sound Level: Comfortable
Audio Visuals to Prepare For: Gunshots, Loud Voices, Loud Crashes
Reviewed by: Glynda Welch
A Neil Simon play well-done is one of Theatre’s greatest joys. Garland Civic Theatre’s production of Simon’s elegant farce Rumors serves up more than one could wish for. NY Deputy Mayor Charlie Brock and his wife Myra are hosting a dinner party to celebrate their 10th anniversary, but the first guests arrive to find Myra (& the staff) missing and Charlie with a gunshot wound. The friends are also business associates and begin making up rumors to cover for the Brocks until they can ferret out the truth. Each new cover story contradicts the last and before you know it the whole party is a tangled knot. Director Eddy Herring has gathered a talented team and given them plenty of rope for tying knots.
Ken (Robert San Juan) and Chris Gorman (Leigh Wyatt Moore), as the first guests to arrive and discover the chaos, bring a delicious mix of chemistry and tension to Ken and Chris. Ken shouts orders from a state of panic while Chris tries to comply in between drinks and cigarettes. Then Lenny (Blair Mitchell) and Claire Ganz (Amy Parsons) arrive fresh from a hit-and-run accident that damaged Lenny’s brand-new car and may have given him whiplash. Mitchell’s Lenny is delightfully pompous in ways that his wife finds boring, until she doesn’t. Parsons gives Claire charm. They exchange rumors about Charlie & Brock, disagree, and finally confront Ken who lets them in on the situation.
Next to arrive are Ernie (Bill Sizemore) and Cookie Cusack (Molly Bower) bringing a whole new flavor to the party. Cookie arrives in a Polish costume handed down by her grandmother, with Ernie carrying the pillow she needs to accommodate her sporadic back pain. Sizemore and Bower cause constant laughter. Bower’s sudden and unusual pain noises, combined with the way she sits, walks, and moves are hysterical. Sizemore’s contortions trying to open the door with all his fingers bandaged are equally funny. Their warm and fuzzy relationship adds to the silly fun.
With no staff on hand to prepare the food for the dinner party, Cookie & Ernie volunteer. That keeps them in the dark a little longer and allows them to welcome Glenn (Sean M. Lewis) and Cassie Cooper (Chloe Carroll), the final party guests, who mistake them for servants. Glenn, a candidate for state senate, is a slick, smarmy politician. Tall, dark, and handsome Lewis gives us charm and snark. Carroll’s Cassie is a beautiful new age woman who fights back in the only way she knows. The Cooper marriage is a minefield for them and anyone else who gets too close.
Post dinner all the couples have been filled in on the situation. Charley’s gunshot wound only damaged his ear lobe but might have been a suicide attempt. After much arguing they agree to cover for Charley until they know the full story. When a police car drives up, they turn the stereo up and pretend they don’t hear the doorbell and didn’t hear the gunshots. Officer Welch (Michael McMillan) is revealed to be investigating the Ganz car accident, but Candidate Glenn lets the cat out of the bag and more hilarity ensues. McMillan makes the most of the character’s limited time on stage, ably assisted by Erik Ho’s stoic and expressive Officer Pudney. Lenny, pretending to be Charley, spins a ludicrous explanation for the gunshots and the missing wife and staff. Astoundingly, the officers accept and leave. The guests begin to march upstairs to finally get the whole story from Charley when they are halted by a loud banging on the door to the basement. Was Lenny’s ludicrous explanation somehow true?
Kerra Sims’ beautiful costumes create the elegance Simon planned for this farce, as does the set designed by Director Eddy Herring. I must admit, I walked back into the theatre after the audience left to feast my eyes on the set. Allison Larrea’s Lighting Design enhanced the feeling, as did Edgar Hernandez’ Sound Design.
Rumors continues through March 29, 2026. Garland Civic Theatre performs at the Granville Arts Center. Treat yourself.
Experience Live Theatre!
Glynda
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