Jávea Players – Ripcord: A Ripping Yarn

Alee Reed is directing her first show for Jávea Players which she describes as The Golden Girls meet The Odd Couple meet Tim Burton. She comments: “I love the way my association with Jávea Players has evolved from choreography for Beauty and the Beast to actor in Our Town to director for Ripcord. Perhaps my next big venture will be a musical in 2027!

While it’s a serious play there’s a lot of humour in it, too – dark humour, which fits well with my sense of humour. And while there’s a realistic set representing a room in a retirement home, there are also surreal scenes that are more conceptual and abstract with a lot of big surprises for our audiences. Aside from the humour, I’m focusing on relationships and the tenderness that lies underneath frustration. And it’s about striving to maintain your power in seemingly powerless situations. I hope Jávea Players’ audiences are looking forward to the first comedy of this season, and to laugh and be moved.”

The cast includes Claire Schoonover as Abby and Pauline McCough as Marilyn, the two main protagonists, who are both excellent actors.

Describing acting Claire says: “It picks you rather than you picking it”. Originally from Manchester, Claire moved to the Washington DC area in 2013 from Germany with her husband, whose military career took him to a position with the Pentagon. She quickly plunged into the local theatre scene, spending a year in conservatory training at Theatre Lab. Since relocating to Spain, she has directed several plays for the Players and run Workshops. When not in Jávea, she can frequently be found continuing her acting career in the US.

Pauline trained in performing arts at Tring Park school. She trod the boards on tours and in the West End, appearing in several TV shows. Here in Spain, she set up and ran a Theatre-in-Education group as an aid for children to learn English. She was also a presenter on Onda Cero Internacional radio for the expat community on the Costa Blanca and Costa del Sol

Performances will take place at the Jávea Players Studio from 20 to 25 April at 7.30pm each evening. Tickets are priced at €12.50, with the box office opening on 20 March. For further information and bookings, see the website here.