View from the Top

Alliance repertory stages a play about seven young and rich friends searching for meaning to their lives.

By: Jim Boyle

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Cultures clash when outsider Chloe (Lilli Marques, left) is introduced to Soos (Jennifer Crane, right) and her close circle of rich friends in The Country Club at Playhouse 22 Jan. 21-Feb. 5.


   With names like Soos, Pooker, Froggy and Zip, it’s easy to think that the characters in Douglas Carter Beane’s The Country Club come from another planet. While decidedly Earthlings, their upper-class upbringings and image-conscious social lives might seem otherworldly to the rest of us. Hopefully, the members of Alliance Repertory can convince audiences that rich people have feelings, too.
   "It asks the question, ‘If you are already born into the American Dream, where do you go from there?’" says Director Mike Driscoll. "The characters are in their late 20s and are just hanging out and taking up space. They have nothing to strive for, nothing to fight for or believe in. They’re just trying to make sense out of their lives."
   It’s the kind of problem that a single mother living paycheck to paycheck would probably kill for, making Mr. Driscoll’s task of creating sympathetic characters a little more difficult. He believes audiences will be able to relate to the struggles on stage when The Country Club plays at Playhouse 22 in East Brunswick Jan. 21 to Feb. 5.
   "They are not necessarily bad people," he says. "They just have everything they want. It’s not clear in the script what everybody does for a living — I think a couple sell real estate — but they are all independently rich, but feel hollow inside. It’s very poignant at times, a sad and well-written satire."
   The play originally opened off-Broadway in 1999 with a cast that included Cynthia Nixon (Sex and the City) and Amy Sedaris (Strangers With Candy). The show later won the Outer Critics Circle Playwriting Award.
   The story revolves around seven lifelong friends in the affluent community of Wyamissing, Pa., the playwright’s hometown. The action takes place at various holiday parties throughout the year, starting with New Year’s Eve. Life-changing events and tragedies occur in-between, with the aftermath gossiped about during the fetes. With most of the action executed offstage, the story relies heavily on dialogue and character, a challenge gladly taken up by the actors, including Jennifer Crane, Matt McCarthy, Sara Peters, Clark Gookin, Lilli Marques, Scott Tomjack and Carla Francischetti. Despite the loaded ensemble, every role is thoughtfully fleshed out, such as Soos (Ms. Crane), who just moved back to the neighborhood following her divorce.
   "She spent some time on the West Coast," says Mr. Driscoll, a Seton Hall graduate. "She knows there is something bigger out there. She was out in the real world."
   While the high-class circle deals with divorce and backstabbing, the audience may find itself gravitating to the character of Chloe (Ms. Marques). The outsider of the group, she’s a city girl from Philadelphia engaged to Hutch, the prankster of the gang. With her down-to-Earth sensibilities, she acts as the liaison for the audience.
   "She’s the typical, sarcastic person," says Mr. Driscoll, a Linden resident. "At one point, one of the characters asks her what the American Dream is. She says it’s the standard, you know, family, two kids, good home. He’s just like, that’s it? He was born into that. To him, that’s boring."
   While the characters live their lives directionless, Alliance Repertory is facing the very real problem of homelessness. Originally housed in Bloomfield, regular disputes with the landlord eventually led to the group being locked out last October, weeks before The Country Club was scheduled to open. The company was told of a space in Montclair, but the building was not up to code, and it would take a lot of money to pass inspection.
   Fortunately, Mr. Driscoll, former coordinator for the Black Box series at The Villagers and artistic director for Alliance Repertory, was tapped by Playhouse 22 to direct its production of Snakebit Feb. 12 to March 6. That was how he discovered that the East Brunswick venue had four weeks of down time at the end of January. Following negotiations, The Country Club was scheduled for production.
The Country Club plays at Playhouse 22, 210 Dunhams Corner Road, East Brunswick, Jan. 21-Feb. 5. Performances: Fri.-Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 3 p.m. Tickets cost $20, $15 seniors/students. For information, call (732) 254-3939. On the Web: www.alliancerep.org