By Rhonda Krinsky, Sun City Players
Sun City Players’ upcoming production of “Ripcord” takes place in a double room in the Bristol Place Senior Living Facility. Abby Binder is forced to share her room with the new arrival, Marilyn Dunne. Abby wants Marilyn gone, while Marilyn not only wants a new friend in Abby, but also desires the bed by the window. Scotty, a resident aide at this facility, merely wants Abby and Marilyn to have a good relationship.
Abby will be played by Siobhan Henry, who has also been seen in “Murder on The Menu”, “Don’t Talk to The Actors”, “The Curious Savage” and most recently, “Old Hams”. Siobhan pictures Abby as “a real person who grows and transforms”.
“Abby has had some rough bumps in her life but has managed to fight tooth and nail to keep the world and everyone in it at a safe distance,” according to Henry. “We all have a lot of Abby in us at one time or another”. Henry says “Since I can be both outgoing and a loner, I am able to pull my character from both”.
Besides her stage roles, Siobhan has been involved in Players Clubhouse, as well as helped with painting sets and doing makeup for men. She has found her niche in acting and is happy to be “chasing her dreams”.
Joanne Johnson is cast as Marilyn. Since becoming a member of the theater club, Johnson has appeared in three main stage productions, “Suite Surrender”, “The Curious Savage” and “Old Hams”, as well as two one-act plays. Johnson likens herself to Marilyn, “a very happy, upbeat person, who has learned to adapt, improvise and overcome several adversities in her life, all of which have made her a much stronger woman”.
Johnson’s favorite role to date has been as Fairy Mae in “The Curious Savage”, since she was able to be kooky, zany, abstract and full of life. Her ideal role would be to portray Mame Dennis in “Auntie Mame”, as she was such a dreamer and drama queen.
The role of Scotty will be played by Bill Loslo, who describes his character as “a gentle peacekeeper”. Scotty, an aspiring actor, is kind and concerned about the residents, but will not shy away from putting his foot down when necessary. Loslo is certainly no stranger to Players’ audiences, as “Ripcord” will be his 51st performance, having become part of the theater club in 2002. His favorite role during all these years was when he appeared in “Social Security”, a very funny play which “really stretched me as an actor”.
Loslo has served on the executive board, co-directed productions, worked on set construction, volunteered in various stage crew positions, sold tickets and presided over Players Clubhouse for five years.
Performance dates for “Ripcord” are 7 p.m. Oct 27 and 28 and Nov. 3 and 4, and 2 p.m. Oct. 29 and Nov 5, at the Mountain View Recreation Center, 9749 N. 107th Ave.
Tickets can be purchased at suncityplayers.org and will also be available for in person sales at Fairway Recreation Center, 10600 W. Peoria Ave., 10 a.m.-noon Oct. 23-26 and Oct. 30-Nov. 2.