Photo Credit: George Katsekes Jr.
In Sunset Playhouse’s light comedy of friendship, The Dixie Swim Club, women who became friends while swimming in school periodically meet up to relax and swim in solitude at an idyllic beach cottage in North Carolina.
The script feels like it was written while binging on “The Golden Girls” after a night of watching Steel Magnolias. As derivative as it may seem on the surface, the charming cast under the direction of Dustin J. Martin finds genuine heart at its center. The cleverness of the script lies not in the premise or the dialogue. The playwrights grab a group of comically contrasting characters, throw them together and allow the cast to work.
The Sunset cast does an entertaining job with it. On one end of the spectrum, a charming Maureen Chobanoff and a variety of wigs play a vivacious personality that fully embraces the passionate drama of life. On the other end, there’s Linda Wirth, comically abrasive and tough as granite, as a lawyer trying to blow off steam outside of the courtroom.
We see the cast of five through four scenes. Each scene is set a number of years after the one that came before it. The sharp, all-woman ensemble finesses the challenges posed by the passage of time. Each scene feels distinct, though some of the comedy here lies in the fact that some things just don’t change. By the end, we’re left with a satisfying comic picture of long-term friendship that makes for a fun night at the theater.
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Through May 7 at Furlan Auditorium, 800 Elm Grove Road. For tickets call 262-782-4430 or visit sunsetplayhouse.com.