Rumors, a farce by Neil Simon, was performed at Furman University February 17th through 28th, 2016. Directed by Carol Sutton, it was a fast paced comedy filled with physical jokes, pratfalls, and chaos as the characters’ lives fell apart at the host-abandoned dinner party. Overall, the show was about four couples attempting to hide from each other—and the police—that their host shot himself through the earlobe and was passed out in the upstairs bedroom from taking medication. Eventually, the story comes full circle and they find out that a story that one of the men told the police might not be so far from the truth. Although the characters were well developed and outlandish to go along with the Simon’s farce, the play lacked a bit of coherence…show more content… The show opened with Chris and Ken—a couple played by Kenzie Wynne and Dakota Adams—who were the first couple to arrive at the party. They are anxiously waiting for a phone call from a doctor because the host—Charley Brock—had shot himself through the earlobe. This couple gave the vital exposition of the show and created a distinct relationship between each other and with the host. As the show continued, more couples appeared with their own qualms: back spasms, car accidents, cheating, disseminating rumors, and more. All the while, they are all trying to keep the secret from each other that Charley has shot himself. The end of the first act turned into complete chaos. Cassie had flushed her crystal down the toilet and was fighting with her husband (Glenn), Chris and Clair were drunk, Ken was deaf, Lenny’s neck was twisted to one side, and Ernie and Cookie have hurt themselves all the while cooking dinner. All the while, Charley knows nothing of what is happening in his home. When the characters descended into complete chaos, a lot of what was happening was lost. The actors were drowning each other out, lines that were supposed to be heard were unrecognizable, and there was no change in focus. Meanwhile, the second act’s focus was much more precise from the beginning to the…show more content… However, at times it lacked clarity and confidence with relationships and obstacles. Every character in the show knew each other from previous encounters and friendships before the party, besides Glenn and Cassie who were new to Ernie and Cookie. Each actor made that very clear through their interactions of being intoxicated together and how they would react toward each other. Though most of it was clear, I questioned some of their obstacles in conjunction with their relationships. Specifically, when Chris and Clair had the obstacle of being very drunk, it was outlandish. Much of the time the intoxication of the two women added to the ridiculous antics of the show. Other times it took some of the focus from other moments, upstaging others actors. I question how honest the drunken state and eccentric reactions—because of the alcohol—were to their relationships they had with others in the show, despite the fact it was a
