REVIEW

Over the Ledge’s saucy ‘Summer Retreat’ offers solace

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A welcomed escape from some of this season’s disturbing events is “Summer Retreat.” The play is a fun, two-hour spree with laughs, surprises, laughs, emotional moments, laughs, shocks and more.

The Over the Ledge Theatre Co.’s production is engaging, starting with an elaborate set, designed and built by Mary Job, Jeff Miller and Joseph Dickson, which takes the audience to a homey cabin on a lake in Northern Michigan. Set dressings and props by Chelsea Witgen and Job, include a full kitchen complete with appliances, a sink, stocked fridge and cupboards.

Exterior logs, real wood walls, glass windows and a doorway with views of leafy scenery add realism.  Frequent “indoor” and “outdoor” sound effects by Bryan Ruhf contribute to the authenticity. 

The attention to details for the kitchen reminded me of the set for Disney’s “Carousel of Progress,” which debuted at the 1964 World’s Fair in New York City and eventually made its way to Disneyworld in Florida. 

And similar to that experience, I felt transported to another place far, far away from the inside a barn in Grand Ledge. A key difference was “Summer Retreat” has no animatronics. The play’s cast are very much alive, energetic and human.

The comedic show focuses on three women in their 50s who meet at a remote cabin where they once partied and bonded during their college years. Job, who is also the director, chose the ideal cast to play the trio of very different characters. Job also has a knack for expert blocking on a large stage.

LeAnn Dethlefsen as Amy, Gay Oliver as Sian and Emily English Clark as Caroline convincingly embody longtime friends who love and sometimes hate each other. Shep, played by Erin Hoffman, is the uninvited misfit who completes the quirky, quipping quartet. 

Each player suits her evolving role, displaying a distinctive persona that commands attention.  Annie Martin’s script gives them opportunities to offer exaggerated and physical comedy.  With apparent ease, Hoffman especially flaunts a cartoonish, and sometimes rude, goofiness that can be annoying and very likeable at the same time.

Individually, the team members are brimming with talent. As an interacting ensemble, the foursome is formidable. When the sum is better than the parts, and the parts are already impressive, the collaborative result is especially remarkable.

Rick Dethlefsen plays the Man with some scene-stealing skills of his own. Although his stage time is limited, Dethlefsen’s performance is memorable.  The Man’s appearance is one of many surprises in a play that sometimes seems predictable, but is actually full of more twists than a six-foot-long dreadlock.

The reminiscing, themes and humor of “Summer Retreat” are loaded with grownup content.  Shocks include F-bombs, breast grabbing, smoking weed and a dropping of pants and undies — all to the delight of the audience.

The play isn’t all merriment. Emotional and sad moments give it more depth while making us more absorbed in the action. 

The conversations and camaraderie between the women seem accurate. I found it hard to imagine a man being able to write the play’s decidedly female-point-of-view dialogue as Martin did.  The playwright also makes it appealing to adults of any age.

When Dickson made the introductory speech at the start of the show and gave the house rules, he never mentioned the customary warning to silence phones and electronic devices. As it turned out, Dickson didn’t need to.  During “Summer Retreat,” I never once noticed a bothersome glow from a phone. Clearly, the audience was too riveted by the show to even think about using one.

Over the Ledge Theatre Co.'s “Summer Retreat”

8 p.m., $10

Thursday, Aug. 14 – Sunday, Aug. 18

The Ledges Playhouse

137 Fitzgerald Park Drive, Grand Ledge, MI

overtheledge.org

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