[NoHo Arts District, CA] – A NoHo Arts theatre review of ELATE’s Rumors! written by Neil Simon, directed by Steven Kirk, and playing at the Lincoln Stegman Theatre through November 24.
ELATE (Emmanuel Lutheran Actors Ensemble) has been making memorable theatre in this space for 40 years! How very impressive of them to make so much theatre every year in this town and do it with such heart and dedication. I have seen quite a few productions over the years and am never disappointed by their passion and talents.
A Neil Simon play might seem like a no brainer for a cerebral group like this one, but it’s tricky to keep up the timing, the sarcasm, the humor, and the drama in a play so perfectly constructed and so well known. But the good people at ELATE rise to the challenge yet again and entertain us thoroughly while reminding us what a truly spectacular playwright can do with an hour and a half of our time.
It’s a classic farce really. A group of friends in a house to celebrate the wedding anniversary of one of them. The first to arrive discovers the husband wounded by a bad attempt at suicide and the wife nowhere to be seen. The kitchen is empty, the food uncooked and the staff absent. It’s one misstep after another and the iconic Neil Simon hilarity comes from the inept and somewhat hysterical choices made by all.
Every performance from this lovely local theatre company is excellent, as usual. Each character is developed and executed to perfection and the set is superb, again they are always brilliant at sets. There’s such an effortless quality to the plays ELATE produces. Yet you can easily see the immense dedication and attention to detail from everyone in the cast and crew. We are very lucky to have them in our midst. Such a treasure of a theatre tucked away beneath the Emmanuel Lutheran Church. I highly recommend Rumors! It’s a very funny frolic through the lives of the super stressed lawyers and spouses of the country club set…absolutely timeless!
Where:
Lincoln Stegman Theatre
6020 Radford Ave, North Hollywood, CA 91606
When:
November 9-24
Friday and Saturday at 8:00pm, with Sunday matinees at 2:00pm
Tickets:
https://nohoartsdistrict.com/noho-theatres/neil-simons-rumors