‘Rumors’ starts year off with plenty of laughs

Many have derided Neil Simon’s farcical play, “Rumors,” which leaves the typical slamming of doors behind. But if put into the right hands it’s exactly what the playwright intended. Such is the case with Las Vegas Little Theatre’s current production, directed by Emily Fagan-Baker. As a critic, you know a production is pretty decent when the curtain drops on Act Two and you haven’t taken many notes because you’ve been too busy enjoying the show.

It’s 1989, we’re at an anniversary dinner party with four nouveau riche couples, the domestic help has disappeared leaving raw food behind, the hostess is missing, and the host has shot himself. The plot never really thickens but who cares? The play is strictly for laughs and this staging of it delivers.

Sarah Spraker, as Chris Gorman, opens the show at high C and we’re off and running. Spraker hyperventilates while trying to light a cigarette, talk, mix drinks, answer the incessant ringing of the phone and doorbell, and there’s not a moment we aren’t gasping for breath right along with her. Her intense energy is felt throughout the show; a single word or curl of her upper lip invokes laughter. In short, her fitting antics are a delight to watch.

On a note lower (as it should be), Kim Glover, as Claire Ganz, matches Spraker step for step. Glover brings the slightly ditzy woman alive in every questioning look. But when she delivers a smart-alecky zinger the tone and inflection are dead on, revealing the intelligence that lurks beneath the surface. Over the course of the play, we see her drunkenness progress and Glover effortlessly intertwines the physical into the fun.

In the role of Lenny Ganz, Glenn Heath proves once again why he’s one of the most talented actors in town. He navigates the stage with confidence and inhabits Lenny from head to toe, never losing sight of his character even when the focus is on other parts of the stage; he’s always in the moment. He gets laughs, bringing the level up a few notches, with impeccable timing and a suddenly droll delivery on the simple, “I’ll get it.” He also gets the tour-de-force made-up-in-moment monologue, delivering it so perfectly you can see the wheels turning in every subtle gesture and facial expression.

The always dependable Ron Lindblom provides another beautifully administered set. The elegantly appointed two story home, done in deep blues and stark whites, is set off nicely by Ginny Adams’ lighting.

That’s not to say there aren’t missteps; there are.

It’s not surprising costuming is un-credited. The women’s gowns, save one, are beautiful. That one, which is supposed to be “frumpy,” isn’t quite frumpy enough. All the men, save Heath, are in tuxedos and, despite the use of the necktie, it leaves us wondering why. The policemen’s uniforms in the final scene are sans guns, nightsticks, or rank insignia, and rumpled, appearing more like low end rent-a-cop security.

Props don’t match the upscale financial means of the crowd, and at one point are missing altogether. Dishes from the dinner are too plain, and a mismatched coffee cup looks like a garage-sale cast-off. We have empty wine and champagne bottles littering the set, but no proper glassware to match.

Regardless of production issues, it’s a great way to start the year with plenty of laughs.