Does a bear eat in the woods?
That question, and many others, are asked and answered in “What Springs Forth,” a riotous comedy running through Aug. 31, presented by Chelsea’s Purple Rose Theatre Co.
The show follows three middle-aged friends – Robyn, Sallie Ben, and Emma – on a life-changing weekend. What was promised to them as a high-end wellness spa retreat turns out to be a lie that leaves them stranded in a wilderness survival camp. As everything spirals out of control, they learn who they’re meant to be, but watching their frustrations and setbacks along the way makes for a sidesplitting time.
The biggest mistake a reader could make here is to assume that this is a “women’s show,” with nothing to offer male viewers. To make that assumption would mean a lot of men missing out on possibly the funniest production in metro Detroit this season.
Sonja Marquis fuels the show as Southern-fried mogul Sallie Ben, delivering a furious, fearless, full-body comedic performance that repeatedly drew scream-laughs from the audience. It’s a go-for-broke turn that somehow continues to top itself as the proceedings roll forward.
Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.
Dwandra Nickole is a hoot as the pragmatic Robyn, and Sarab Kamoo is maddening and then revelatory as Emma, the flaky friend who lands them in this situation. At the performance I saw, Teri Clark Linden subbed for Suzi Regan in the role of Malou, a crazed, Eastern European “wildness survival expert” who’s just one or two marbles away from being Quint in “Jaws.” Clark Linden’s rubbery movements, “who cares” attitude and comic timing did some real heavy lifting in the laugh department. They do it all while performing in the round, with the audience on all four sides – never an easy feat.
The whole crew works beautifully together, thanks to director Kate Thomsen. Thomsen keeps things light and sprightly, with a particularly strong hand at slapstick, but draws real emotions out of the cathartic moments.
Sarah Pearline’s spectacular forest set is augmented by Noele Stollmack’s magical lighting design, and a highly impressive sound setup brings Victoria Deiorio’s sound design to terrifying life as the characters battle the elements and predators in the woods.
This production is the world premiere of Carey Crim’s peach of a script. A breezy 90 minutes with no intermission slips by quickly, sending you out with a smile. Kudos to the Purple Rose for spotlighting a fresh and original story.
“What Springs Forth” runs through Aug. 31 at the Purple Rose Theatre Co. Tickets are available at purplerosetheatre.org.
Contact Free Press arts and culture reporter Duante Beddingfield at dbeddingfield@freepress.com.
Most Popular
Comments / 0