Sometimes, one just needs a rom-com. I don’t say that tritely.
Like all genre literature, romantic comedies are usually sidelined as unimportant. But genre literature is a legitimate form of storytelling essential in imparting knowledge of societal norms. And it makes people happy.
There’s nothing wrong with art that makes one happy. Ross Valley Players’ 95th season opener, Susan Sadler’s Crossing Delancey, will do just that. The show, directed by Adrian Elfenbaum, runs through Oct. 13.
One already knows the plot if they have seen the movie of the same name or anything on the Hallmark Channel. In a story set in 1985 New York, single 30-something Izzie (Lisa Morse) visits her Bubbie (Tamar Cohn) every Sunday. Izzie works in a bookstore where she fantasizes about the obviously slimy but famous writer Tyler Moss (Steve Price).
Bubbie enlists neighbor Hannah Mandelbaum (Jennifer S. McGeorge), a marriage broker, to help Izzie find a nice Jewish boy. Hannah sets up a meeting between successful pickleman Sam (Mark P. Robinson) and Izzie. To make Bubbie happy, Izzie agrees to meet Sam and, well, everyone knows the rest.
Morse is fantastic in the role of Izzie. At once relatable and down to earth, she also hits all the right notes that make one want to throw popcorn at her while shouting, “No! He’s a jerk!” (This is a professional critique, not just something we do.) Morse also has great chemistry onstage with Cohn’s Bubbie. Cohn is very well-cast in this role and is delightful to watch as the infuriating but loveable (and obnoxiously correct) grandmother.
While McGeorge’s Hannah tends toward being a one-note joke, it is nevertheless an engaging and consistently funny joke. However, Price’s Moss is so over-the-top creepy that it is hard to believe that a woman like Izzie would fall for him. Luckily for us and Izzie, Robinson’s Sam is a gentle, grounded and complex portrayal of a much more nuanced love interest than rom-coms usually give us.
The actors and director are aided in keeping free of saccharine territory by a highly realistic and surprisingly versatile set designed by Mikiko Uesugi. Valera Coble’s costumes, assisted by Michael A. Berg, are realistically subdued for a show set in the 1980s. This applies to everyone besides Hannah, whose wild costumes offer a hilarious juxtaposition between her and the staid world she keeps inserting herself into.
This script has often been referred to as the quintessential Jewish rom-com. Not being Jewish, I can’t say whether that is true. However, I appreciate the Yiddish in the play, the characters who aren’t apologetic or embarrassed by their culture and how each of them is strongly individual within that shared culture. All of this speaks to the vitality of genre and the comfort with which one can be exposed to new experiences in a way that feels safe. Art can make you happy and still be important.
Give this show a try and see.
‘Crossing Delancey’ runs through Oct. 13 at the Barn Theatre in the Marin Art and Garden Center, 30 Sir Francis Drake Blvd., Ross. Thurs.-Sat. 7:30pm; Sun., 2pm. $24–$35. 415.456.9555. rossvalleyplayers.com.
