Sunset Playhouse Fuels Neil Simon’s ‘Rumors’

Sunset Playhouse continues its season with an entertaining productionof Neil Simon’s Rumors.Written in the ’80s, Rumors is a comedy set at an anniversaryparty for a couple that never actually appears onstage. This detail can berevealed since it has nothing to do with the rest of the comedy, whichplayfully toys with details of upper-class life played out as a classicmid-century farce. Mark Metcalf directs this Sunset Playhouse production withconsiderable polish.

The basic premise of the play is established in the first few minutesof the show. The husband and wife celebrating their anniversary aren’t well.The wife is nowhere to be seen. The husband has accidentally shot himself inthe ear due to a botched suicide attempt. As the guests arrive and realize thatsomething is amiss, they attempt to keep from each other the real reason whythe party’s hosts aren’t there.

The comic possibilities of this premise are explored in the mostobvious shades of comedy. The real treat here is the opportunity to seetalented comic actors at work.

Randall T. Anderson, fun in almost anything, plays the lawyer KenGorman. Andersonhas a brilliant instinct for this kind of comedy and manages to find humor ineven the most obvious of punch lines. In the role of Claire, Sarah Laak Hughesadds a highly comic poise. She shows a beautifully articulated grace under firethat adapts to the difficulties of the play.

Sunset Playhouse’s production of Rumors runsthrough May 8.