LTVB'S THE DIXIE SWIM CLUB 

IS FUNNY, BUT FLAWED

Theater Babe Says:  Go . . . and Enjoy a Script that Celebrates Southern-Fried Friendship 

The Dixie Swim Club is a hilarious play by the comedic team of Jones Hope Wooten, the popular and prolific writers who specialize in telling quirky tales of Southern families and friendships through use of simple sets and ensemble casts. The script teems with amusing situations and laugh-out-loud punch lines interspersed with poignant, sentimental moments.  Under the direction of Kathy Hinson, the Little Theatre of Virginia Beach’s production adequately presents the comedy, but misses the opportunity to make us really care about or to flush out the nuances of what could be more than stereotypical characters.

The plot focuses on five women who originally met when they were members of their college swim team and kept in touch over the years in part through their annual weekend getaway in North Carolina’s Outer Banks.  The play begins in 1981, twenty-two years after their graduation, and each of the other three scenes depicts a subsequent reunion over the course of thirty-three years.  The playwrights populated the cast with archetypes: the organized micromanager (Sheree), the fading but still man-eating Southern belle (Lexie), the cynical, sharp-tongued lawyer (Dinah), the accident-prone, misbegotten mother of two criminals (Vernadette) and the sweet caregiver (Jeri Neal).  Together, they laugh, squabble, reminisce and support each other through divorces, fiscal worries, childbirth and life’s other trials.

It is a challenge to cast characters that age so significantly; we meet them when they are 44 and they are 77 in the final scene.  With one major exception, Ms. Hinson chose actors who are of an age.  Whether one believes that Kathy Strouse (Sheree), Janet Maddox (Lexie), Nancy Bloom (Dinah) and Robin Martineau (Vernadette) are actually the ages discussed in the dialogue, at least they are of the same generation.  The problem is that Ms. Hinson chose a noticeably younger actor, Wendy Nelson, to play Jeri Neal.  Even though the script suggests that Jeri Neal was a freshman when the others were seniors, because Ms. Nelson appears to be decades younger than the rest of the cast, we never believe that she would really be part of that tight-knit group.  The characters’ friendship is the pivotal point around which the entire plot revolves, and that single key miscasting severely undermines the credibility of the whole.

As Lexie, Janet Maddox is at her best when she portrays the self-centered flirt and she carries off the physical changes made to her character with aplomb. Ms. Maddox is less convincing during her more serious moments.  We hear, but do not sense, her concerns during the third scene, and although we see her indignation at Dinah’s “betrayal” when Lexie discovers that Dinah is dating her ex-husband, that response lacks context because Ms. Maddox’s interpretation does not show us that Lexie ever had any real feelings for her ex.

Kathy Strause is plausible as Sheree, the former team captain, as she bustles about organizing everyone.  But there is a sameness to the delivery of her lines that robs the more meaningful moments of poignancy.  For example, throughout the show, Sheree refers to their former coach (and her current father-in-law) with affection, but nothing in Ms. Strause’s facial expression or body language supports her description of the sadness Sheree claims to feel about his ill health.  Similarly, in the second scene, we are surprised to hear the other characters’ assessment that something was bothering Sheree; to us, her demeanor and even tone of voice are unchanged from the previous scene.

By contrast, Nancy Bloom’s Dinah demonstrates diametrical changes of affect through the course of the show.  At the beginning, Ms. Bloom’s interpretation of the character is reminiscent of Kathy Bates’ Emmy-nominated performance in the short-lived television series, Harry’s Law.  But Ms. Bloom’s portrayal in the early scenes is plagued by over-exaggerated reactions that turn Dinah into a mere caricature and we are deprived of the opportunity to understand and care about her.  In the second act, Ms. Bloom sheds the affectation with mixed results.  Dinah is more realistic and natural, but her entire demeanor is so drastically different, lacking any of the edge so vibrantly displayed in Act I, that we cannot reconcile that these two women are supposed to be the same person.  That disconnect is exacerbated when the other characters later describe Dinah as a sophisticated world traveler – a description that defies either the boisterous smartass of the first act or the soft-spoken, almost meek, Samaritan of the second.  Dinah is supposed to be something of an enigma, but Ms. Bloom fails to convey any singular essence that ties the multiple facets of the character into a believable, complex individual.

As Jeri Neal, Wendy Nelson shows the most credible character development.  We believe her bewildered exhaustion as the mother of a hyperactive five year old, and the sparkle she displays briefly as she speaks to her husband on the telephone is just lovely.  Too often, however, Ms. Nelson speaks in a sing-song cadence that is displeasing to the ear and makes Jeri Neal sound weak – inconsistent with a character who is strong and determined enough to repeatedly make unconventional life choices.

Robin Martineau’s performance as Vernadette improves throughout the show.  In the opening scene, Ms. Martineau speaks in a deliberate monotone that is coupled with a blank deadpan facial expression.  It’s funny for awhile, but the calculated sameness prevents Vernadette from seeming like a real person, and we laugh at her witticisms without really caring about her character.  Later in the show, Ms. Martineau shines when she throws off her contrived stoicism and delivers a passionate – and believable – paean to biscuits in particular, and the Southern lifestyle in general.  Ms. Martineau’s stalwart defense of All Things Southern is refreshingly natural in both tone and delivery, and her diction is clear and distinct.  It is a highlight of the show, and deserves the rousing applause it elicits from the audience.  In the final scene, Ms. Martineau’s demeanor changes again as she depicts Vernadette’s struggle with memory loss.  Ms. Martineau’s strong performance conveys Vernadette’s confusion and vulnerability, but does not lose the acerbic wit that she demonstrates earlier in the play, thereby creating a continuity of character that is quite effective.

The set, designed by Dave Hobbs, is a faithful representation of a beach house and the landscape visible through the open screen door is a nice touch.  The set decoration by Lori Booth silently reinforces the passage of time as the change of artwork reflects changing design trends.  Costumer Mary Lou Mahlman fails to use the same approach; the characters’ clothing is largely of no discernible time period.  Dinah’s wardrobe is particularly puzzling.  Although much is made of her expensive taste in handbags, and “elegance” is a word her friends use to describe her, Dinah’s outfits are more suggestive of the Golden Girls cronies than an affluent, sophisticated partner in a law firm.

Bottom line?  The Dixie Swim Club is a well-written comedy with an amazingly funny script, and if the LTVB production does not live up to the full potential of the material, it is still worth the time and ticket price.

Performances run thru October 5th, Friday - Saturday at 8 p.m. and

Sundays at 2:30 p.m. at the Little Theatre of Virginia Beach

550 Barberton Drive, Virginia Beach, Virginia 23451.

Tickets are $17 ($14 for matinees) with discounts for seniors, students and active military.

Reservations can be obtained by calling the box office at (757) 428-9233 

or online at ltvb.com

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