Review: WIPEOUT at Rivendell Theatre

Despite co-founding the professional surfing tour in 1976, Patti Paniccia didn't see full gender equality in the sport until she was 70. She told the New York Times that, had she known it would have taken most of her life to get this far, she "probably would have given up." But women have been surfing in the Pacific Islands since as early as the 1600s, and British explorer Peter Puget wrote that Queen Nāmāhānaʻi Kaleleokalani of Maui was "one of the most expert" surfers he had ever seen. So, as odd as it may initially seem, surfing and its ties to women's empowerment make for a fitting foundation for Aurora Real de Asua's new dramedy WIPEOUT. Making its world premiere at Rivendell Theatre under the inventive direction of Tara Mallen, WIPEOUT gifts audiences a hilarious exploration of aging, friendship, and womanhood that's as fun as a day at the beach and as bittersweet as a setting sun. The production runs through April 6.

Inspired by the playwright's adolescence in California and summers spent with her grandmother, WIPEOUT tells the story of three retired best friends coming together to take surfing lessons before significant life changes send them drifting apart. The plot of the piece is relatively simple; each woman wants to catch a wave before the end of the lesson. What makes Real de Asua's script so powerful is its character study of three women taking stock of their lives and relationships as they enter their twilight years, and each actress plays her part with equal measures of humor and heartache.

As Wynn, a serial divorcée reluctantly taking to the waves, Meg Thalken plays her part with an acerbic wit that is as funny as it is discomforting. Just as viewers begin to wonder how anyone can stand to be around Wynn for longer than an hour, Thalken creates cracks in her character's facade that humanize a woman terrified that the prospect of romantic love has passed her by. Her finest scenes come during her strained interactions with the handsome young surf instructor, Blaze (a hilarious Glenn Obrero, who spits out surfer slang with a fluency that would impress any beach bum). On the other end of the personality spectrum, Cindy Gold portrays Gary, the adventurous queer spirit in the friend group, with a boisterous belly laugh and a fiery temper. It isn't a spoiler to reveal that Gary is coping with the progression of Alzheimer's; that can be taken for granted in a play featuring adults of a certain age. But it's a testament to Gold's talent that this anticipated narrative trope still feels both familiar and unsettling. We become invested in this character's fate precisely because she reminds us of someone we love while maintaining a uniquely larger-than-life personality. 

The actress with the greatest range in this production, though, is Celeste Williams as Claudia, the perpetual optimist who initiates the surfing lessons as a final outing before Gary's disease worsens. Behind Williams's warm smile and tinkling laugh is a current of desperation, of fear that this may be the last time her character will ever see her friends together again. One could argue that Claudia's conflict becomes the central crisis of the play, or at least that's how Williams makes it feel with her nuanced performance. Every paddle through the water becomes a struggle to stay afloat. Every reference to astrology and mindfulness becomes an attempt to place order on an increasingly chaotic world. While Gary's fate may be a foregone conclusion, the real tension comes from not knowing if these friendships can survive after the play ends.

Mallen and her cast have undoubtedly created a powerful piece, but they also have great fun within the borders of the script's dramaturgical necessities. The four actors spend the entirety of the play on surfboards, which are ingeniously placed on office chair wheels to mimic the rocking of waves. The actors bob and wade around with movements that feel natural but never distracting. Admittedly, the boards make getting on and off the stage an awkward endeavor, but this feels like a small price to pay for some clever stagecraft.

Ultimately, Rivendell has gifted Chicago with yet another exciting world premiere that creates a space for women's stories that feels accessible enough for newcomers and adventurous enough for return audiences. Much like barreling through a hollowed-out wave, you'll leave the theater feeling slightly unnerved but greatly exhilarated.

Photo Credit: Jenn Udoni

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