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WAUKESHA
- Women love to get together to reminisce and celebrate their
friendships. This is the premise of “Dixie Swim Club,”
presently on the boards at Waukesha Civic Theatre. It’s a
comedy where five women who comprised a swim team in college
meet once a year at a North Carolina resort on the ocean to
catch up on each other’s lives.
The
story covers a 30-year period, opening when they are in their
40s and ending when they are in their 70s. Each character is
distinctly drawn, and though the humor is somewhat exaggerated
and very Southern, we can find ourselves and others we know in
these personalities.
Jacqueline
Gosz plays Lexlie, the self-absorbed femme fatale, who spends
most of her time on her body image and discarding and
acquiring husbands. Gosz manages to forge a character who
amuses us greatly even as we pity her shallowness. She even
elicits some sympathy from us as the play ends.
Beth
Perry convincingly portrays the somewhat sardonic successful
lawyer who masks her unfulfilled side in her excessive
dependence on alcohol. We enjoy Dinah’s wit and apparent
strength and drive. She provides a striking contrast to all of
the other characters.
Sheree
is the organizer with the manicured life, the devoted husband,
the successful child, a devotee of nutritional correctness,
the one who tries to control everything, but who becomes
unglued when she anticipates becoming a grandmother. Who can
predict what will throw a given person off track? Roberta
Prospeck aced the role. She annoyed her peers sometimes as
mother hens often do.
Vernadette
is the character who provides the most humor. Her life is awry
in many ways, but her sense of humor overides all the setbacks
she has suffered. Her delivery of the speech in defense of
biscuits was the highlight of the show for me. Patty Wilson is
very well-cast in this role.
Lastly
is Jeri, the woman who surprises us most with her radical
change of lifestyle. Diana Randelzhofer has a freshness about
her that casts a ray of sunshine on the group, reminding them
and us that one need not become jaded as life progresses, even
though the challenges may be taxing at times.
From
the frequent hearty laughs, it was evident that the audience
was enjoying meeting up with these women, and as is often true
at most reunions, there were some unexpected revelations.
The
aging process was a bit sketchy, especially when they reached
their ‘70s, but the change of costumes and hairdos indicated
the passage of time and changes in fads and fashions.
Dana
Brzezinski (costume designer) and Anthony Mackie (wigmaster)
deserve mention for their creative contributions.
Amanda
Basich Kron provided an airy set design. It’s well-executed,
light entertainment.
Directed
by Catie O’Donnell, “Dixie Swim Club” runs two more
weekends through May 19. Call 262-547-0708 for show times and
tickets or visit www.waukeshacivictheatre.org |
