The Cemetery Club

Ivan Menchell’s 1990 play about three widows who meet monthly for morning tea before visiting their husbands’ graves is probably not the best choice for any recently widowed woman, but this reviewer is certainly glad she made it to the Saturday matinee of this endearing play.

Director Judy Neuman, in her third outing at Tugun, has struck exactly the right chord, melding the dark Jewish humour with real pathos and empathy. Her tone is impeccable throughout, funny yet subtle. She avoids all the pitfalls the script sets as traps and her blocking is near perfect given the restrictions of the stage. What’s more, she has assembled a truly excellent cast to help her.

The three widows are Lucille, who hides her pain behind an outrageous Cougar façade, Ida, sweet and ready to love again, and judgmental Doris, who wallows in the past and never gets over her dead husband. Three very different women whose friendship is built upon the commonality of their widowhood, it is the very stark differences in their personalities that provides the basis for the funny, and sometimes moving, interaction between them.

As Lucille, who sits at the very centre of the play with all her idiosyncrasies, Cecile (Cee) Campbell gives a stellar performance, full of wise-cracks and OTT ogling of the only male in the cast. Yet she also conveys the subtle frailty of a woman whose heart has been broken and covers it with steely bravado, lest someone sees behind the mask and she breaks too. Cee, a tiny actress with a super large presence on stage, provides the energy and charisma that prevents the play (sometimes clunky and cliched) from sinking into bathos. And when we finally see the locked-up Lucille free to speak her truth, it is the quality of the actress that makes us feel so deeply for her.

Gai Byrne is Doris, wrapped in the past and shunning the future. I remember Gai from her musical theatre days (yikes…was it actually last century?) and she still graces the stage with ease and appeal. She is, and always has been, a delight to watch, always attractive and with full understanding of the character. A teensy criticism… even in a comedy some moments would be better served by retaining the ‘fourth wall” rather than delivering out front to the audience. That apart, in the least spectacular of the three major roles, she shines and at no time allows Doris to wallow in self-pity, which could be inevitable with a lesser actress.

Phillip Victor is Sam the Butcher, potentially a new love for Ida and the cause of jealousy amongst all three women. I have seen Phillip four times now on stage and never guessed he had such a delightful feel for light comedy. In a role which could easily allow for mugging and uncalled for physicality, he is subtle, credible and endearingly funny, particularly when caught between the women and deep in embarrassment.

Trish Nissen makes a meal of the small but pivotal role of Mildred, making her presence felt in one major scene. I can’t wait to see her in a larger role.

But, saving the best till last, it is the award worthy performance of Debbie Tanna as Ida, that lifts this production from being merely “good” to “wonderful”. Tanna has a waiflike quality that is perfect for Ida, who dares to dream of love again. She nails the Jewish accent with aplomb, is content to lay back in places that feature the other leads, but BOY, when it is her story, she plays it with such truth, heart and vulnerability that we cannot help but feel for her and identify with her. She is hilarious in the comic moments, but there is great depth in her work.  The touching scene with Sam in which the two awkward seniors skirt around romance like two high-school kids, is one of the loveliest and most believable I have ever seen in Community Theatre, and it moves the audience far beyond what seems possible in the text. Beautifully played with great poignancy and vulnerability. Debbie Tanna is first and foremost a singer, but this role re-defines her as one heck of an actress too.

This stellar cast and director are all volunteers and are aided by others who give their time freely, from David Neuman who designed and built the set to Jasper Lee who designed and operates the lighting, and the indefatigable Roger McKenzie and others who handle FOH. It’s very much a “Family” at Tugun.