WAITING IN THE WINGS

This play and experience was a little yin-and-yang for me.

On the plus side, I love Topanga Canyon’s Theatricum Botanicum. So I’m always happy to go there. As Mr. X once wrote in the guest book at a friend’s house party in that area, I say to this outdoor theatre, “Thanks for the time warp.” My friend Marc said the experience is so different from anything else in LA. That’s what I love about it. I feel like I’m in the 1970s just driving up that road! (More on the venue a bit later.)

I recently realized that I hadn’t been there for two years, so I wanted to make it to at least one of their repertory shows this summer, and I chose Noël Coward’s late-in-his-career Waiting In The Wings. (It’s his fiftieth play out of fifty-seven.) I appreciate their bringing us this rarely-produced play.

But I found it to be only mildly entertaining, and, at just about three hours, waaaay too long. I heard that theaters are required to do this play exactly as written, so the writing is not the fault of Theatricum Botanicum. But I feel like the action could have been directed to go much faster than it does.

As much as I admire the talent of everyone involved, (players, technical peeps, lovely theatre personnel, and, of course, playwright Noël Coward,) and despite the play being billed as a comedy, I found the story, (of very past-their-prime senior actresses living in a retirement home run by a charity,) to be mainly depressing. That could be just me, though; I’m sure there are many others who find the narrative to be uplifting, hopeful, or charming. (Marc tells us it’s “entertaining, but people near the end of life and dying off isn’t cheerful.”)

One of the characters, played convincingly by Theatricum Botanicum’s Artistic Director Ellen Geer, appears to have serious “senile dementia,” (as it was referred to in the ’50s,) which is never an amusing topic. That’s not the fault of this theater at all, but it’s still not comedic. To me, anyway.

There are also a lot of inconsistencies in the story, which Marc noticed, as well. That has nothing to do with this particular production, but I don’t know how no one else has noticed this first discrepancy in the script in the sixty-six years since it was first presented in 1960: at one point, a mother says she hasn’t seen her son in seventeen years, and then later, she says it’s been thirty-three years. That made me think that maybe a lot of time had passed between some scenes, but that was not the case at all. (When the actors stated, “…thirty-three years,” we both whispered to each other at the same time, “I thought it was seventeen!,” so perhaps we both missed an earlier explanation.)

And then in one scene, the women return from some rehearsal at 3AM. Why would old people be rehearsing in the middle of the night? That makes no sense. Maybe that’s how they did it in England in the ‘50s, but that would have been equally odd back then.

In another instance, we see one of the women moving out, and then the next thing we know, it seemed that she was back there in her room. Marc and I had no idea what was going on with that scenario. But upon doing research when I got home, it turns-out that we had it wrong because the script was very confusing. It seemed that a gentleman caller was there for that oldest woman with dementia, who we see in a few scenes, but he was really visiting a character we never see. It’s actually such a minor point in the story, but another one of confusion. So if you see the play, I advise to just go with the flow, and not get that deep into any of it.

I do love the clever title, though. “Waiting in the wings” is what actors do before their entrances, and in this case, “The Wings” is a British retirement home for older actresses who have nowhere else to go. I always joke with Mr. X, (who’s a lot older than I am,) about how amusing the people “in the home” will find him. (But after seeing this play, I’m going to stop doing that; I realize now that it’s not a funny topic.) The Wings is sort-of like our own Motion Picture & Television Fund home here in LA, although I think the residents in that place actually get their own apartments. (This play made me pray that I never have to find-out! But it did inspire me to do a bit of research on that wonderful organization, and it really is a godsend for many elders in the biz. We’re lucky to have it here.)

As I watched the show, I wondered if this play was the inspiration for The Golden Girls TV series. That would make sense.

Waiting In The Wings features a big cast, (seventeen actors,) who really fill-up that huge outdoor stage. I was glad to see so many senior actresses working. And I must say that the casting is really good. (However, I could not find that credit anywhere!)

I had never seen any but three of the thespians before. I remember Earnestine Phillips from seeing her in a show here…nine years ago! And once again, she brings a spark to the proceedings. [Note: All the characters are written as white and from the UK, and this one is supposed to be white and Irish. So, to cast Earnestine as the lone American, and a black woman, to boot, the producers had to get special permission from Coward’s estate, as a few other theaters that have presented this show have done over the years.]

It is an ensemble piece, but the main story is about the enmity between two of the women, played beautifully by Jan Wikstrom and Susan Angelo, (although the latter actress seems much younger than everyone else, so I would never picture her in a retirement home.)

My favorite performer of the group, though, was Will Collyer, one of only four males. (The other three had much smaller roles.) Will plays Perry, the secretary to the charity that runs the home, and his singing* is lovely. (Of course it is—he studied theatre at UCLA, as did Mr. X and I. It’s where we met!) Actually, the entire Christmas party scene in Act II, with several musical bits, is the best part of the entire show. *[Waiting In The Wings is not a musical—there’s only that one scene in which he sings a song. But, if Coward’s estate would allow it, I could see a very pared-down version of the play as a successful Broadway musical. Hey—I should work on producing one right now!]

On the technical side of the equation, it cannot have been easy to dress so many actors for such an abundance of scenes, but costume designer Vicki Conrad did just that, and well. At one point, when the actresses all came out in their nighttime going-to-bed outfits, Marc admiringly gasped, “So many colors! My God!”

And on a constructive criticism note, I know that this theatre group likes to use as much of their massive stage as possible, including the top floor of the structure on one side of it, but I can’t imagine that old women would choose to live in a house with so many stairs. (I have a feeling that these real-life actresses did not love going up and down them so many times, either. My knees hurt just watching them!) So maybe, if they ever do this play again, all the women’s “rooms” should be depicted as being on the ground floor. Just sayin’.

And, since all the shows are presented outdoors there, (of course—that’s the main attraction of Theatricum Botanicum!,) the ever-present cricket concert gets way too loud, but what can you do? Well, actually, perhaps make the sound system a tad louder. (I always hear audience members asking each other, “What did she say?,” and things like that.)

And now I have a senior actress friend’s very happy story, as a lesson to never give up, particularly in show biz, which Waiting In The Wings brought to mind. She’s in her late 70s, and has been a struggling LA actress for well over five decades! She’s appeared in some little theatre productions over the years, along with occasional lines in TV shows. And then, all of a sudden, she recently got a recurring role on a very popular TV series! Not only is that fun for her, but it’s also the most money she’s ever made! So she’s proof that being a senior performer can sometimes work out.

Finally, here are some notes on Theatricum Botanicum itself. If you’ve never been there, make sure to go early to spend some time exploring the rustic and peaceful grounds a bit. You can even have a picnic there, as so many visitors do. There’s also a snack bar that features an interesting choice of items and beverages; Marc was more than happy to take advantage of it. (We also stopped at the Topanga Creek General Store on the way, for delish turkey sandwiches.)

Let me close with a bit of advice for your visit. First of all, wear insect repellent! On every inch of skin that’s exposed. (You may also need a bit of bat spray—the night I saw the show, there was one flying all over the stage in one scene; the cast practically had to duck!)

Secondly, no matter how hot it is outside during the day, bring jackets, sweatshirts, and blankets. And maybe even hats, scarves, and gloves! It does get that chilly there when the sun goes down. (Even during this current heatwave, as the show went on, I piled-on sweatpants, a tee-shirt, a thermal pullover, two sweatshirts, a winter skull cap, a shawl, a pashmina, a poncho, and a couple of blankets! And I’m rarely cold.)

And unless you have one of those full-figured bottoms, real or fake, bring a cushion! Even the special reserved chairs in the front row, (as opposed to the cement bleacher seating,) need them. (You can also rent cushions on-site for a nominal fee.)

And, perhaps most importantly, save an entire day to read their more-than-detailed juicy program! It’s beyond informative.

Waiting In The Wings running (in repertory) through October 3, 2026
Theatricum Botanicum 1419 N. Topanga Canyon Blvd.
310-455-2322  www.theatricum.com