‘Boca’ a night of chuckles and smiles at Barrington Stage Company
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Sometimes you can damn a theater production by offering faint praise — like calling a work amusing, pleasant and nice. At other times, with a play like “Boca,” they can be encouraging words for someone who is looking for an entertaining evening.
“Boca,” which is playing at Barrington Stage Company through August 29, is the ideal show for anyone looking for a relaxing night of theater. There is nothing of depth, no drama and no life-changing moments. There are times when you can’t help but laugh aloud, but more often you simply chuckle at the funny lines and situations. Throughout the show’s two-hour duration (including an intermission) you have an almost constant smile on your face.
Written by Jessica Provenz, “Boca” does not use the typical structure for a comedy. Rather than using linear scenes to tell a story and develop characters, the playwright creates 12 short plays, most of which could stand alone to tell its own story. The group somehow unites to form a whole.
Each is rather pleasant, but the work would be stronger with fewer segments, as a sketch in each act could be eliminated and not missed.
However, the plus is, like with those popular 10-minute play festivals, if one segment doesn’t work — chances are in a few minutes a better one will appear. To emphasize the point, at least one segment, “Stay Please,” was one of the funnier pieces in Barrington Stage’s 10 x 10 short play festivals a few years ago.
The concept of an older single woman holding a recent widower hostage to force him to sample her lasagna still works. The point of the piece is to exaggerate the desperate measures people might take in retirement communities to find eligible companions.
“Boca” takes place in that type of retirement community, the Royal Palm Polo Club in Boca Raton, Florida. We meet twelve residents all of whom are bored with their lives, yet find satisfaction by interacting with others in the same situation.
Though “Boca” might deter many from the idea of buying into such a community, the heart of the play is pointing out that such places are helpful to people of a certain age who are trying to adapt to a new lifestyle.
One of the more endearing aspects of “Boca” is that even though all the characters have personality quirks, no one is nasty or even mean-spirited. This is a group with whom it is easy to spend a night solving First World problems.
Provenz is adept at writing characters who are familiar types who stop short of being stereotypes. Do not look for “Boca” for any type of depth — either in life-lessons or characterizations. What you get is recognizable people who place themselves in improbable situations. Like two senior women who create a Silver Alert by imitating Thelma and Louise as they run off to Tampa in a Tesla electric automobile.
Six actors each play two different characters. They are so ideal, they make generating laughs from stock characters look easier than it is. Because of the lack of depth in the material it is up to the performers to add personality and the sense that minor problems are important to the individual.
Robert Zukerman is funny as the community’s cranky cynic and as a disinterested Rabbi. Kenneth Tigar is expert at playing men without strong opinions. In a word, he’s a loveable “mensch.” Gilbert Cruz is fun as both an over-thehill Latin lover and a married Reverend who can generate laughs with timely quips.
The men are good, but the females are even better. Peggy Pharr Wilson specializes in women who are able to control a situation. She turns both aggressive and passive-aggressive behavior into comic tools. April Ortiz is a delight as she plays a pair of older women with strong sexual identities and a lust for new adventures.
However, in a cast of equals it is Barrington Stage regular Debra Jo Rupp who dominates every scene she is in. In a remarkable second act opening monologue, Rupp combines the skill of a talented actor with her innate gift for comedy.
Indeed, the moment, titled “The Campaign” could be a synopsis of the show. A person offering a speech as to why she is running to be the president of the condominium association seems an inconsequential, even trivial, event. But to Rupp’s character it is very important, and the actress finds that honesty of purpose. It becomes both charming and insightful.
That’s “Boca.” It’s a play filled with inconsequential moments that can be quite pleasing.
“Boca” continues under a tent at Barrington Stage Company’s Laurel Street property in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. It continues through Aug. 29. For tickets and schedule information go to barringtonstageco.org or call (413) 236-8888.