Streaming Spotlight by Cindy Summers
French Girl – Prime Video

Middle school teacher Gordon Kinski (Zach Braff) was excited for the last day of school as he had planned a romantic getaway with his girlfriend Sophie Tremblay (Evelyne Brochu) where unbeknownst to her he was going to propose. Sophie, who was a gourmet chef in New York, had just gotten a rave review in the New York Times that caught the eye of her past head chef Ruby Collins (Vanessa Hudgens) who showed up out of the blue after several years apart to ask Sophie to interview for the executive chef position in Ruby’s new Michelin 3-star restaurant in Quebec.

Sophie knew that would mean she would have to postpone her trip with Gordon, but Gordon knew it was Sophie’s dream so supported her choice to go and decided to join her on the trip to Canada. Sophie was originally from Canada and her parents Ginette (Isabelle Vincent) and Alphonse (Luc Picard) were looking forward to her visit and meeting her new boyfriend. Unfortunately, Gordon had taken a pill on the plane that his father gave him for nerves that caused him to be quite incapacitated which made a bad first impression with Sophie’s parents.

The first night with the family Gordon didn’t do well, accidentally kissed grandma on the the lips and revealing Sophie’s brother Junior’s secret to learn English and become a cop. Ruby arrived at dinner unexpectedly with Sophie’s dad’s favorite wine and took over for the rest of the evening. The next day Sophie headed off the begin her training for the job with Ruby, while Gordon was left home alone and decided to look through Sophie’s room to learn more about her and her past.

To his surprise, Gordon found photos of Sophie and Ruby from a past lesbian relationship and in his shock called his dad Peter for advise, who told him to propose to Sophie before she switched teams again. Gordon was found by Alphonse in the yard who invited him into the barn where he slaughtered a lamb, making Gordon very uncomfortable. Then Gordon went to talk to Junior to apologize for accidentally sharing their arrangement, and in asking about Ruby and Sophie learned Sophie broke up with Ruby because Ruby cheated numerous times and broke her heart.

At the restaurant Ruby didn’t favor Sophie, rather seemed to be even harder on her than the other two candidates. Meanwhile, Junior took Gordon to a MMA match and discovered Junior was and actual local MMA champion. After Junior beat the first challenger that was twice his size, he was challenged by his father Alphonse. Alphonse made a deal with Junior that if he won that Junior had to work on the farm and if Junior won he could take English lessons and pursue being a cop. Gordon jumped in the ring and in trying to keep them apart accidentally knocked out Alphonse.

Back at the farm Ruby offered to film her cooking show at the farm to highlight their lamb and help save the farm. The show was a great success and Ruby committed to using Tremblay lamb at her restaurant. Then Ruby offered Sophie the job in front of her family and friends, and Gordon got drunk and due to his extreme jealousy made several offensive comments about Ruby and Sophie, including that Sophie slept her way into the job so she asked him to leave, backed up by Ruby.

Gordon booked a flight home but his dad told him he needed to fight, so he decided to surprise Sophie in the most extreme way by dawning some pantaloons and headed for the restaurant. There he saw Ruby kiss Sophie, then took off and stole Ruby’s car not knowing that Sophie had punched Ruby in the face. Gordon crashed Ruby’s car, but after coming to Sophie asked him to marry her having found the ring when he ended up unconscious in the hospital after the crash.

Runtime: 1h 50m

Streaming Spotlight by Cindy Summers
Wicked Little Letters – Netflix

Straight from the 1920’s British headlines, “Wicked Little Letters” is based on the strange true story of a lonely spinster named Edith Swan (Olivia Colman) and her outspoken Irish neighbor Rose Gooding (Jessie Buckley) who were embroiled in a scandal that rocked the seaside town of Littlehampton and had the nation in an uproar. The situation involved local residents receiving anonymous wicked letters filled with outrageous profanities, and since Rose was well-known for her foul-mouthed behavior she was arrested for writing the letters.

Rose was a single mother who said her husband had died in the war, leaving her to raise their daughter Nancy with her new partner Bill. Initially Rose had been friends with Edith and her parents Edward (Timothy Spall) and Victoria (Gemma Jones) until Rose beat up one of Edward’s guests at his birthday party. Soon after Rose was visited by the local child protective services and believing it was due to Edward ended her friendship. Then profanity-filled letters began arriving at the their home, and after receiving the 19^th letter Edward contacted the local constable.

Edith blamed Rose, who was arrested but because she couldn’t afford bail she was sent to jail until her trial date over two months later. Fortunately Bill was there to take care of Nancy and Rose also had an ally on the police force, Police Officer Gladys Moss (Anjana Vasan) who noticed differences in Rose’s handwriting to those in the letter, but was shutdown by her boss Chief Constable Spedding. Due to Gladys being the only female officer on the force, she was constantly dismissed and was told specifically that handwriting evidence did not count and to stay out of the investigation.

Though no one else was aware, Edith had been writing the letters as a form of therapy for her repressed anger toward her father Edward’s controlling abusive treatment toward her. Edith addressed another profane hate-filled letter to herself, but her mother got the mail and in opening the letter had a heart attack and died. Gladys was very concerned that Rose had been arrested unjustly, and gathered a small group of women who were Edith’s friends, Ann, Mabel and Kate, who felt similarly about Rose’s innocence to try to help Rose.

Ann and Mabel bailed out Rose a couple of weeks before the trial, but on the eve of the trail Rose noticed the handwriting on the sign of a local ice cream shop was distinctly similar to that of the letters. During the trial, Rose was confronted about her brash behavior and had no issue with embracing it, but also commented that she had no problem confronting people face-to-face and would not use letter writing to express herself to others. Rose’s attorney attempted to use the compelling evidence of the differences in handwriting but was also dismissed.

Gladys and Edith’s friends had a strong suspicion that Edith would write a last letter before Rose would be found guilty and incarcerated, so Gladys hatched a very clever plan to catch Edith in the act. Gladys’ plan included the use of invisible ink, had witnesses to confirm the truth and even enlisted the help of her niece to intercept the letter for evidence. Once the truth was brought to light, Rose was exonerated and Edith was arrested, found guilty and was sentenced to twelve months hard labor, though seemed relieved by finally be away from her controlling father.

Gladys Moss, who never gave up fighting to prove Rose’s innocence regardless of the obstacles in her path, has an English Heritage blue plaque in Littlehampton recognizing her as the First Woman Police Officer in West Sussex and for her tenacious efforts to reveal the truth.

Runtime: 1h 42m

by Shirley Lorraine

Prom – An Uplifting Experience

Remember the excitement of going to the high school prom? Did you miss going to the prom? Never been to a prom? In any case, The Speakeasy Prom event, an underground evening of new theater and live music, put on by the Fractured Actors Theater Company is now yours to enjoy, reminisce and revel in.

Donning my prom-best, complete with glitter ball earrings, I and a friend entered the hallowed halls of the 2024 prom. The room was decked with strings of lights and set for the arrival of the live band. Excitement hung in the air as the glitter ball on the ceiling spread its magic across the room. The band, Class Action, provided the tone via vintage pop and modern rock with energy that translated easily to both the attendees and the actors.

Fractured Actors has once again brought forth short, original vignettes that delve into familiar and explore more obtuse topics that may or could affect the event’s success in this day and age. The writing keeps up with the prevalence of technology as well as social stereotypes showing how much has changed since some of us were in high school. Traditional this evening ‘s prom was not. It was, however, filled with fun, hilarity and unexpected twists. It provided not only a look back, but also a glimpse into what the present and future may hold.

Between each vignette, while the minimal stage settings were being changed, the attendees’ focus was drawn to the band which got everyone moving to the beats. The band is even comprised of characters in the show – the principal, the librarian, the coach, the professor and the driving instructor. A clever way to incorporate them seamlessly. Vocals by Mrs. Paige Turner, librarian, (Shelby Figueroa) are smoky and solid. In one song she is joined on vocals by the youngest member of the cast, Harper Rose Ham. Very nice harmonies. The band itself is delightful to watch as well as being musically talented.

Periodic appearances made by actors playing chaperones, staff and school support people became a source of continual laughter throughout the evening with their progression of well-played antics.

The large, diverse cast, including a mascot of the fictional school, the fruit bat, assured that the action was crisp and moving swiftly. Everyone was clearly having a blast, including the audience.

Producers Erica Connell, Jeff Ham and Shannon McNally Ham encourage attendees to dress in keeping with the theme, adding to the overall ambiance.

The company performs in a black box area adjacent to the Liminal Church in Ventura’s industrial section on Palma Drive.

Although it has been a few years since I went to the prom, I thoroughly enjoyed this one. Need an excuse to dress up? Do it and go to the prom. Space is limited so reservations are highly recommended.

Playing Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. through August 31. For more information, visit www.fracturedactors.com

Streaming Spotlight by Cindy Summers
Bob Marley: One Love – Prime Video

“Bob Marley: One Love” is based on the life of reggae legend Bob Marley who rose up from the adversity of growing up in the concrete jungle of Trench Town to becoming the biggest star of Jamaica. In 1976 Jamaica was experiencing great civil unrest due to two political parties driving the country to near civil war. In an effort to help unite the people, Bob Marley (Kinsley Ben-Adir) scheduled a free peace concert called “Smile Jamaica” that was expressly intended to promote peace and unity, and absolutely excluded any political ties.

Tragically, the day before the concert Bob, his wife Rita (Lashana Lynch) and his friend and manager Don Taylor (Anthony Welsh) were shot by several men who entered their friend’s home where the band rehearsed in an effort to prevent the peace concert from happening. Bob was shot in the arm and a bullet grazed his chest, and Don was shot six times needing to be airlifted to Miami. While outside in their car, Rita was shot at almost point blank range in the head, but luckily her dreadlocks stopped the bullet from coming within an inch of her brain.

Bob decided to still do the peace concert and Rita checked herself out of the hospital to join him on stage, as she was a backup singer in the band and also committed to the show going on. Bob started off with “War” but had multiple visions of his shooter in the crowd and stopped the concert after only one song. Bob told Rita she needed to go to America with their children to stay safe, and that he needed time to deal with his trauma and headed to London with his band mates.

Marley decided his next album would need to be different to have his message reach a global audience. After a few months, Bob asked Rita to join him saying he couldn’t finish the new album without her. When she arrived in London, Rita reminded Bob not to let what happened to them affect his music. “Exodus” was inspired when Marley’s friend played the soundtrack from the movie of the same name and they immediately wrote the song impromptu with the whole band having a natural synergy in creating the song.

While in London, Bob kept up with the problems back in Jamaica ,even seeing a number of his friends arrested. Carly Barrett and Tyrone Downie came to London to ask Bob to return to Jamaica and do a unity concert, but he refused. Marley continued to work on the the music with his band creating some of his most well-known hits and released the album “Exodus” by Bob Marley and the Wailers in 1977.

Marley and the band started touring again to sold out shows throughout Europe as “Exodus” rose to 14 on the UK Singles Chart, climbed the US charts to number three with the album eventually being awarded a gold record. “Reggae music is the consciousness of the people coming together” was one way Marley described his revolutionary music to a growing world audience. Marley wanted to tour next in Africa, but his record producer had already committed the band to a U.S. tour. Bob had a toe infection that wasn’t healing, but refused to address it until the tour was over.

When Bob did eventually go to the doctor he discovered he had a rare form of skin cancer, but refused treatment and returned with Rita to Jamaica. Marley did do a unity concert in Jamaica in 1978 called the “One Love Peace Concert”, where the heads of both of Jamaica’s political parties held hands together with Marley on stage. Marley also realized his plans to perform in Africa in 1980 in Zimbabwe to commemorate the end of colonial rule before he died from his cancer in 1981 at the age of 36. Time Magazine called “Exodus” the greatest album of the 20th Century.

Runtime: 1h 50m

Streaming Spotlight by Cindy Summers
The Long Game – Netflix
4 out of 4 palm trees

“The Long Game” is based on the true story of the Del Rio Mustangs, the first Mexican-American high school golf team ever organized in the U.S. by JB Pena (Jay Hernandez) in Texas in 1956 during a time of extreme racism and prejudice. JB had just moved to Del Rio having accepted the job as superintendent of Del Rio High School and as an avid golf player was hoping to become a member of the prestigious Del Rio Country Club, but was denied due to being hispanic.

Joe Trevino (Julian Works) worked at the Del Rio Country Club as a caddy where he took every opportunity to hit balls when nobody was looking. Joe and four other hispanic friends regularly practiced on a course they designed and maintained in a field just outside of town. One day while JB was driving to the school, his window was shattered by a golf ball Joe hit on a dare, and the boys scattered when JB got out of his car to see who broke his window.

During a full school assembly to introduce JB as the new superintendent, he recognized the boys from the field and in realizing this they fled. When JB caught up to them he made it clear he wasn’t concerned about his car window, he was interested in their interest in golf. JB solicited the assistance of his friend and Marine buddy Frank Mitchell (Dennis Quaid) who was a good golfer and a member at Del Rio Country Club.

The team practiced outside of town on their field course, and JB and Frank would sneak them onto the putting greens at Del Rio Country Club at night to practice their putting. JB told the boys that they needed to dress well and not speak Spanish on the courses to blend in and increase their opportunities to play. After endless calls, they finally were able to enter a tournament. Pollo (Cheech Marin), the groundskeeper, approached them one night and gifted the entire team each a set of clubs and golf shoes that he had gathered and cared for until finding where they should go.

The Mustangs first tournament was the 16^th Annual Monte Christo Juniors Tournament in Kerrville, TX. Though the team didn’t place, the owner Mr. Patteson was impressed with the way the team handled themselves and invited the team to play in another tournament the following month. Not only did they follow all the rules and fixed all their divots, they even fixed the divots the other teams left on the course as well as displaying great sportsmanship to the other players.

On the way home, the team was refused service in a diner due to being hispanic. Joe went outside and hit a couple of golf balls to break the windows, and the whole team jumped in the car and fled. Frank joked with the boys, but JB sternly lectured Joe about his actions. The team did better with every tournament they played and even won several first place trophies. They eventually went to the 1957 Texas State Championships, but Joe’s actions at the diner ultimately caught up with them.

Police showed up to the tournament to arrest Joe for the incident at the diner, which would disqualify him from the tournament and put the team in 5^th instead of 2^nd with one day left. To save the team, JB said he broke the windows and was arrested, which even potentially risked his job. JB’s valiant efforts helped the Mustangs to win the championship and in 2012 the Mustangs were inducted into the Latino International Sports Hall of Fame for their historic victory. Their record score remained unbroken for another 36 years.

Runtime: 1h 52m

by Shirley Lorraine

Life is complicated. “The Light Remains,” an original work now on stage at the Elite Theatre Company in Channel Islands, showcases just how complicated it can become when unexpected events occur. Add to the mix the inner and outer turmoil that affects the maelstrom of emotions during the teen years, and you have the crux of this introspective piece.

Author Arriana Rodriguez bravely tackles this deep and reflective subject following the sudden loss of a best friend. The result is a cathartic baring of the soul that explores grief in its many forms, but especially anger.

The play focuses on a group of teens set to graduate high school. They face universal issues: decisions on whether to stay local or go off to college, and whether to face the unfamiliar or stick with the familiar. The attraction and seeming permanence of first love is a strong complication of its own. At eighteen, everything seems larger than life and more important than it is. Most of us eventually work our way through all that and move on. Some, tragically, do not, leaving behind more questions than answers.

The play is jam-packed with raw emotions and strong language. (Here comes my soapbox moment.) As prevalent as the current culture allows language to be frank, I felt the characters would be better served to build up to the point of understandable anger rather than leading with it. The overuse of foul language quickly became tiresome. By the time it was fully appropriate, given the situation, the impact was considerably lessened for me. It is hard enough to listen to that type of constant coarseness from adults. From young people, it overshadowed the talents I could discern were under the surface. Frankly, it fueled my anger. I wanted to hear what the characters really had to say rather than a string of common invectives.

The principal characters each had moments of introspection that were insightful and deep. Monologues delivered by Kai Wyatt, Jackie Jones, Jonny Jones, and Bucky Delgado in Act Two were the most satisfying moments for me. The cast was strong, and even director Hayley Silvers made an appearance as “Mom.”

Opening night was filled with family and friends whose enthusiasm and support were overly eager to be heard. Unfortunately, their exuberance often drowned out the action, not allowing the actors time to process. Youth theater is a valuable training ground, and I fully support experimentation and stretching boundaries. I expect the play to evolve considerably throughout its run if attention is given to the audience’s reactions, not only by the actors but also by the author. Pacing, holding for laughs and reactions before moving on, and vocal projection are issues that need improvement. It’s a learning process worth examining.

“The Light Remains” continues through August 18. For more information, visit www.theElite.org or call 805-483-5118.

Streaming Spotlight by Cindy Summers
Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F – Netflix

After pursuing robbers on motorcycles in a snow plow through the streets of Detroit, Axel Foley’s (Eddie Murphy) antics finally forced his boss Jeffery to retire to protect Axel. Axel’s friend Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinhold), former Beverly Hills Police Officer turned P.I. was working on a case with Axel’s daughter Jane Saunders (Taylour Paige) who was serving as a defense attorney in LA.

The same day Jane accused a prominent police officer of being dirty in court, her car was hooked by a chain and dropped over the side of the building, leaving her hanging 50ft above the ground.

Billy called Axel to let him know Jane was in trouble, so Axel headed to L.A. Billy never showed to pick up Axel, and when Axel got to Billy’s office he found two guys inside searching the place. Axel escaped by a stealing a parking meter cart, but crashed it, was arrested and turned over to Beverly Hills Detective Bobby Abbott (Joseph Gordon-Levitt). Axel called his Jane, who promptly hung up on him, so he called back and agreed to tell Jane what Billy said if she helped him.

It was immediately evident that Bobby and Jane had been in a relationship. Axel got called to Taggart’s office where he met Captain Cade Grant (Kevin Bacon) who ran the interdepartmental narcotics task force. Grant said that Jane was representing a cop killer that killed a member of his team named Copeland. Upon leaving the station, Jane said the last time she heard from Billy he was down at the impound checking something out, so they both went to the impound together.

The car had been broken into the night before and they found a hidden camera in car vent, but the SD card was missing. Jane said her client Enriquez was framed and the camera would have video of Copeland’s death. Axel realized they were being followed by the same thugs from Billy’s office and followed them to an elite club where they found the two thugs hanging out with Grant.

Bobby talked to Taggart at the station and when he left ended up in a shoot out to protect Axel and Jane, while Axel tried to flee crashing into multiple cars. Taggart reamed Axel and Bobby, and when Axel questioned if Taggart was involved with Grant, so he kicked Axel out of his office and suspended Bobby. Bobby and Axel decided it would be good to talk to Enriquez’s uncle Chalino who told them that Grant was the top dog using dirty cops to protect the cartel’s drug interests.

When they left they were surrounded by Grant’s men who had planted drugs in Bobby’s trunk and took them to jail. Axel got out of his handcuffs, freed Bobby and heading to the roof to escape where a police helicopter was parked. Bobby was a helicopter pilot, but lacked confidence due to previously crashing a helicopter. They crashed on a golf course and stole a golf cart, then stole a car and after went to the port and saw a delivery truck from the cartel mansion and Billy’s car.

They found Billy and fled in the delivery truck that was packed with drug filled statues. When Axel tried to call Jane, Grant answered and told Axel he had Jane and needed the SD card. Axel called Jeffery to track Jane’s phone and found she was at the cartel mansion, so he crashed through the gate and into the front of the mansion. Taggart headed to the scene and joined the gun fight.

Jane shot a man trying to sneak up on Axel, but then Grant fired at Jane, so Axel jumped in front of her and got shot in the shoulder. At the same time, Bobby came around the corner and shot Grant in the head. When Jane went to visit Axel in the hospital, she found him in his hospital gown at the diner across the street. Jane told Axel Grant’s men all went to jail and her client was released due to the evidence on the SD card.

Runtime: 1h 55m

Streaming Spotlight by Cindy Summers
The Boys in the Boat – Prime Video

“The Boys in the Boat” was produced and directed by George Clooney and based on true events involving the 1936 Washington University JV rowing team and their journey to the Summer Olympics. In 1936, Joe Rantz (Callum Turner) was studying engineering at the University of Washington in Seattle. Due to the depression, jobs were scarce so in order to pay his tuition Joe decided to tryout for the university rowing team along with his friend Jim McMillin (Wil Coban), which provided them with a part-time job and place to live if they made the team.

The team was coached by Head Coach Al Ulbrickson (Joel Edgerton) and Coach Tom Bolles (James Wolk) who told the crowd of nearly two hundred young men that gathered that they were looking for the eight most qualified young men to fill out the JV boat. The next few weeks they were overwhelmed with extreme physical endurance challenges while also learning proper rowing techniques.

Joe and Jim both made the team, even though neither had ever done any rowing before tryouts. Each position in the boat played a specific role in rowing the boat. One through three were tasked with using the proper technique to keep the boat on course, four through six were like the engine room providing power, seven set the pace and eight the stroke. Joe was assigned to seat seven while Jim was assigned to seat five. After a mediocre start, Coach Ulbrickson switched the JV boat to experienced coxswain Bobby Moch (Luke Slattery) and the team started performing better.

They were trying to get ready for the upcoming Pacific Coast Regatta on Lake Washington against their rivals the Cal Bears of Berkley, who had won the regatta for many consecutive years. The JV teams raced first and Washington let Cal keep the lead until the halfway mark, then Washington surged passed Cal and were neck and neck three quarters down the course with Washington pulling ahead a full boat length to win with a time nine seconds under the coarse record. Next was the four-mile Poughkeepsie Regatta in New York for a chance at participating in the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany.

Coach Ulbrickson took a chance that risked his job and chose to have the Washington JV team compete instead of the varsity team. Joe had seen his long-lost dad in Seattle which caused him to perform badly at practice so the coach benched him for the race. Just as in the race against Cal, Bobby kept the team back through the first half of the race letting the other teams think they had easily bested Washington, but again they took off in the second half and beat Navy, Cal and the other privileged eastern schools to clinch their spot on the U.S. Olympic Team.

They traveled to Nazi Germany, but upon arriving eighth-seat rower Don Hume (Jack Mulhern) fell ill. Don was able to row in the qualifiers and the team set an Olympic record, but it took a toll on Don. Adolf Hitler attended the finals expected the Germans to win gold in all of the rowing events. When the starting gun sounded, Bobby didn’t hear it and the team was off to a bad start and Don was struggling to keep the pace, but Bobby’s great leadership turned things around and led the team to a photo finish with Italy and Germany, with the U.S. winning the gold medal.

“The Boys in the Boat” is inspiring not only by the underdog triumphs of the team, but also the faith and trust Coach Al Ulbrickson had in risking his career in an unconventional move that brought home Olympic gold.

Runtime: 2h 6m

by Shirley Lorraine

Laughter Slaughters on Santa Paula Stage

The Santa Paula Theatre Center continues its season of all comedies with Women in Jeopardy by Wendy MacLeod. Full of good old-fashioned chuckles and guffaws, the cast delivers with tongues firmly in cheek.

Billed as Thelma and Louise meets The First Wives Club, Women n Jeopardy invites the audience to leave logic at the door and just enjoy the frantic and often absurd antics of the characters. The plot is admittedly thin (or complex, depending on how you count the threads), centering around three divorced friends of ages past youth and before senility. There are still wild oats to be sowed, and Liz (Leslie Upson) is fully engaged in this endeavor via her infatuation with her new beau Jackson (Ron Feltner), an odd duck dentist. Striking suspicious chords with Liz’s friends Mary (Jessi May Stevenson) and Jo (Theresa Secor), Jackson proceeds to display signs that lead the ladies to believe he may have a sinister streak. Coincidence? Perhaps.

As suspicions grow, the action becomes increasingly absurd when a local policeman, Kirk (also Ron Feltner) appears to look just like the dentist. Mary and Jo attempt, without success, to alert the police that Jackson may in fact be the serial killer currently being sought based on tiny threads of circumstantial evidence, mostly woven by the fabric of their minds. They cite that Liz’s daughter Amanda (Amber Shea Hodge) plans to go camping in a remote area with Jackson and they fear for her safety. Mary then engages Amber’s off and on boyfriend Trenner (Christopher Craven) in a plot that is completely misconstrued, to Mary’s consternation and the delight of the audience.

The movable set pieces employed in this production provide a panoply of backdrops, while mysterious figures in dimmed lighting gleefully change props to stealthy music. It is as much fun to watch the scene changes as the play itself.

Each of the actors give sterling, enthusiastic, broad performances. As an ensemble, they work beautifully together. Direction by Sarah Broughton is tight and keeps the audience guessing.

Ron Feltner shines in the dual role of Jackson/Kirk, giving each character singularity. Christpher Craven is a blast to watch as he side-winds his way from gawky teenager to would-be lothario.

Leslie Upson is clearly having a grand time throwing caution to the winds, playing her role with abandon. Jessi May Stevenson and Theresa Secor are exemplary foils, Stevenson as the instigator and Secor as the stereotypical oft-overlooked second banana. Both are on high alert as they go above and beyond to “rescue” their friend. Amber Shea Hodge provides the perky playfulness of petulant youth needed to balance the frantic moms.

Women in Jeopardy is an evening of laughs from unexpected points of view. For a good time, call Santa Paula Theatre Center to reserve seats.

Women in Jeopardy continues Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., Sundays at 2:30 p.m. through July 21, 2024. www.santapaulatheatercenter.org (805) 525-4645