- Jayme Catalano as Jeri Neal, Pamela Ciochette as Dinah, Stephanie Albergh as Sheree and Hilda L. Roe as Lexie in the Ross Valley Players’ production
- of “The Dixie Swim Club.”
The bond between women is often a strong one. It can be so powerful that a community in Japan puts girls together in groups of five when they are young, establishing friendships that last for life, in the belief that the social connection is one of the keys to longevity. That kind of enduring friendship is at the heart of “The Dixie Swim Club,” the current Ross Valley Players production, which explores the theme with mixed results.
The play, by Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope and Jamie Wooten, opens in 1980, when five women who became friends as members of their college swim team gather for an annual get-together at a cottage in North Carolina’s Outer Banks. They are 44, and the yearly weekends each August have become a permanent fixture on their calendars, giving them a chance to catch up on the changes in their lives, share their ups and downs and give each other moral support. We see four such meetings over the course of 33 years, with the last scene in 2013, when the women are 77.
The first scene shows four friends waiting for a fifth, who has promised a surprise and arrives with a dandy. As they interact, the persona of the various characters becomes evident quickly. The most grounded appears to be Sheree, portrayed by Stephanie Ahlberg, who was captain of their college team and continues to take a leadership role, trying to organize the group as best she can. The needy, seemingly self-absorbed Lexie (Hilda L. Roe) laments one divorce after another, and accident-prone Vernadette (Floriana Alessandria), who makes her customary dash for the bathroom on arrival, takes life’s disappointments in stride with a sigh. Rounding out the group are Jeri Neal (Jayme Catalano), a former nun, and Dinah (Pamela Ciochette), an independent professional woman, who softens as time goes on.
It’s a diverse group, and over the course of their lives, they stick together to help each other share good times, face challenges and accept change. In the early scenes, the issues are less weighty, but as time goes on, the women confront some serious issues, such as aging, failed expectations and loss. The play, however, never really finds a sense of balance. Occasional scenes are almost slapstick, and some very clever lines draw the laughs, but when the comedy is juxtaposed with heavier themes, the play doesn’t know what it wants to be and somehow seems out of sync.
In a character-driven play like “The Dixie Swim Club,” development of the individuals is a crucial element in driving the story forward. We see the most growth in Lexie, who becomes less superficial as she ages and gains depth, realizing that what’s within is more important than one’s outer appearance. Sheree has substance from the beginning, but she is somewhat fixed in her ways, serving the same hors d’oeuvre year after year, until she has a breakthrough moment involving biscuits, which reflect her acceptance of change. Dinah is an interesting character, who as a heavy-drinking, unmarried litigation attorney must have been an anomaly for her generation, and yet the script never goes beyond the surface to give insight into the strength she must have summoned to overcome the obstacles she undoubtedly encountered.
Jeri Neal, in contrast, comes off as a complete airhead who never seems to mature, and Vernadette appears to be something of a ditz, whose family problems concern her—but not too much.
The characters aren’t fully fleshed out, yet the chemistry between the actresses works, and the strength of the story lies in the loyalty and kinship the women feel for each other, with revelations in the final scene showing how much they really do value each other.
All the action takes place in the screened porch of the cottage at the beach, and Ron Krempetz’s set design and Michael Walraven’s construction make it a realistic and effective setting for the character’s interaction, with various doors working to support the action. Sound design by Bruce Vieira takes advantage of popular songs to open scenes with lyrics appropriate for what is to come.
Costumes by Michael A. Berg reflect the personality of each character and change with the times, as do the women’s hairstyles and makeup.
On opening night, director Linda Dunn revealed that “The Dixie Swim Club” was her first experience directing an all-female cast, and she described it as a joy. She expected women to relate to it and said she hoped it would give men insight.
The script is lightweight, and chances are most men won’t perceive the importance of female bonding because it’s not part of their experience. They can, however, sit back, enjoy a few laughs and pay attention to the lyrics of the songs to get a clue.
“The Dixie Swim Club” opened on Friday, July 19, and runs through Sunday, August 18. Performances take place Thursday through Friday. Talk Backs with the director and actors take place after matinée performances on Sunday, August 4, and Sunday, August 11.
Tickets are $26 general admission and $22 for seniors 62 and over and children 18 and under. Thursday night tickets are $20 for all ages.
For information on performance times and to reserve tickets, go to www.rossvalleyplayers.com.