Jake’s Women
by Neil Simon
Directed by Edward M. Coffield
Moonstone Theatre Company
November 4, 2021
Jennifer Theby-Quinn, Jeff Cummings
Photo by Phillip Hamer
Moonstone Theatre Company
Moonstone Theatre company is currently staging their first production in the studio theatre space at the new Kirkwood Performing Arts Center. Moonstone is a new theatre company, although it seems like they have been around for a while, considering artistic director-producer Sharon Hunter and company have managed to maintain a visible online presence (via Facebook, their website, and a podcast) over the past two years while waiting for the chance to finally stage a live production. Well, that production is here now, and it’s excellent. Neil Simon’s Jake’s Women features a first-rate cast and strong production values, making a strong impression on the St. Louis theatre scene.
Jake’s Women is one of celebrated playwright Simon’s later plays, having been originally staged in 1992, and like most of his works, it’s a comedy, although there are elements of drama as are characteristic of many of Simon’s later works. It’s early 90s origin is apparent in some of the jokes that don’t quite seem to “land” as well as they would have almost 30 years ago, but otherwise, it holds up well, speaking to universal issues of relationships, mental health, and the challenges of being a writer. Jake (Jeff Cummings) is a celebrated novelist currently dealing with writer’s block, as well as a variety of issues in his relationships with various women in his life, who appear mostly in Jake’s mind. These women include his current wife Maggie (Jennifer Theby-Quinn), his sister Karen (Hunter), his psychoanalyst Edith (Jennie Brick), his daughter Molly at age 12 (Amelie Lock) and at 21 (Carly Uding), and his late, beloved first wife Julie (Marisa Puller). All of these characters except Maggie only appear as Jake’s imagined/remembered versions who appear at first only as Jake “summons” them, although later they begin showing up on their own. Maggie, who is dealing with a strained marriage to Jake, appears both in Jake’s mind-visions and in “real life”, showing the contrast between how she really is and how Jake can imagine her. There’s also another character, Sheila (Mindy Shaw), who mostly appears in “real life”, as a new woman in Jake’s life who isn’t so sure what to think of him. As Jake debates, argues, and discusses with these figures in his life (in the real and imaginary versions), he seeks to work out his own struggles with fear of intimacy, grief over his loss of his first wife, his dependence on women, his fear of losing touch with reality, and more. It’s a fascinating, fast-paced picture of a complex character and a struggling marriage, as the relationship between Jake and Maggie is at the center.
As a Neil Simon play, this show is full of fast-paced, quick witted and self-deprecating humor, as well as memorable characters. In this production, all the characters are cast with impeccable precision. As Jake, Cummings is full of angsty energy, managing to be both obtuse and vulnerable at the same time, maintaining sympathy even when he can be stubbornly difficult. Theby-Quinn is an excellent match for Cummings as the conflicted Maggie, managing to convey a genuine love for Jake as well as exasperation with him, and a desire to discover more about herself. These two work especially well together, forming the emotional heart of this production. There are also strong performances from the rest of the cast, with Hunter as the ever-helpful but increasingly frustrated Karen, Brick as the acerbic Edith, Puller as the idealized but determined Julie, and Lock and Uding as two different versions of Molly all providing excellent support. Shaw, as Sheila, makes a strong impression in a small-ish role, as well, mostly reacting to Jake’s increasingly unusual behavior as he deals with the apparitions that she is unable to see. It’s a cohesive ensemble, bringing Simon’s quickly paced, talky script to life with emotion and verve.
The space at the Kirkwood Performing Arts center is ideal for this production, emphasizing the intimacy of the setting and working well with the style and theme of the play. Dunsi Dai’s relatively minimal set is also ideal, with both realistic and more abstract elements blending together with Michael Sullivan’s evocative lighting to highlight the more imaginative aspects of the play, as well as its very real humor and emotion. The costumes by Michele Siler and sound by Amanda Werre also contribute well to the overall tone and theme of the production, and director Edward M. Coffield’s staging is dynamic and energetically paced.
Overall, this is an impressive debut for a promising new theatre company. Jake’s Women provides a strong cast an excellent opportunity to bring this thoughtful, witty play to life. Moonstone Theatre Company is a welcome addition to the St. Louis theatre scene, and I’m looking forward to seeing more productions from them in the future.
Cast of Jake’s Women
Photo by Phillip Hamer
Moonstone Theatre company
Moonstone Theatre Company is presenting Jake’s Women at the Kirkwood Performing Arts Center until November 21, 2021
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