By Deidra O’Brien.
Need an escape from the January gloom here in New York? Head to Theatre Three in Port Jefferson to see The Sweet Delilah Swim Club, directed by Linda May. Opening on a chilly January 14, the show is sure to defrost hearts on its run through February 4.
Set in a beach cottage in the Outer Banks, Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope, and Jamie Wooten’s comedy centers around the friendship of a college swim team that perseveres through the ebbs and flows of life. The five friends, Sheree Hollinger (Tamralynn Dorsa), Lexie Richards (Stephanie Moreau), Dinah Grayson (Lori Beth Belkin), Vernadette Simms (Suzie Dunn), and Jeri Neal McFeely (Elizabeth Ladd), meet every August for a girls’ getaway weekend. We get to join them for four of these weekends, spanning over 50 years of camaraderie.
The five women who compose the cast of this production, each a unique stroke of vibrance, come together as a poignant and pretty portrait. The show opens with Tamralynn Dorsa and Stepahnie Moreau, as Sheree and Lexie, comically interacting as the tightly wound team captain and the sultry southern belle. As the scene ensues, Lori Beth Belkin’s successful, career-focused lawyer, Dinah, enters, followed by Suzie Dunn’s down-on-her-luck, but hilarious Vernadette, and lastly Elizabeth Ladd’s saccharine nun, Jeri Neal. The women interact and express how friendship can be a balm to soothe the pains of life, and a map to navigate life with grace. Through the hilarious exchanges, Suzie Dunn and her deadpan deliveries struck waves upon waves of laughter. And as every character was filled with dimension, Suzie’s powerful monolgue allowed us to see Vernadette as more than a one-dimensional comedic device. Together, the actresses illustrated relatable depictions of fear, worry, mid-life turning points, and the safety net relationships can provide for them all.
These themes, though shown mainly by the actresses, are also developed through the simplistic, cozy-coastal set design by Randall Parsons. The changes in the set between scenes are intentionally minimal and build an “if these walls could talk” effect. Although, the subtle changes in the final scene sober the audience to the brevity of life.
Intimate yet expansive, as we witness the characters falling short and bounding ahead in their lives, the show holds up a mirror in which to find gratitude and appreciation for our own little inner circles. The Sweet Delilah Swim Club, humors, delights, touches, and reminds us that true friendship is sometimes the compass we need to guide us. Grab a gal pal and and help yourself to a sweet treat!
Running time is approximately 2 hours and 5 minutes with one 15 minute intermission.