Stage Review - Chapter Two (Jewel Box)

Stage Review - Chapter Two
Presented By: Jewel Box Theatre - Poulsbo, WA
Show Run: April 19 - May 05, 2024
Date Reviewed: Friday, April 19, 2024 (Opening Night)
Reviewed By: Greg Heilman

Neil Simon’s continuing popularity, and the reason his plays always work so well, is rooted in how the playwright presents relationships. There’s a reality and a relatability to how these are portrayed on stage and on screen. Sure, it takes the actors to deliver, and we’ll get to that later, but at his core, Simon just gets relationships and natural human chemistry. It’s what drives his humor, situations we all find ourselves in but rarely talk about, the similarities to our own humanity that don’t require a witty one-liner or a formal joke, though he’s not too bad there, either, bumped up with a little exaggeration, and it’s also what accounts for Simon’s longevity. As if his work wasn’t generally good in this way, Chapter Two, on stage currently at the Jewel Box Theatre in Poulsbo through May 5 in a show directed by Karen Hauser, takes this a step further. It may be the closest thing that Neil Simon ever came to an autobiographical piece. Chapter Two is centered around George Schneider, a recent widower who finds himself reluctantly back on the dating circuit when he meets and falls head over heels for Jennie Malone. The feeling is mutual, and with Jennie having just gotten over a divorce herself, they find that they have a decent number of things in common. George, however, finds it ever so difficult to move on from the loss of his wife, it seems to impact every aspect of his life, including this new relationship. Simon wrote Chapter Two after meeting Marsha Mason, his second wife, while still trying to move on from the untimely death of his first wife. The resulting play opened on Broadway in 1977, and was nominated for four Tony Awards. A feature film followed as has as a West End revival and audiobook.

The Jewel Box version of Chapter Two features Raymond Deuel as widower George Schneider and Alix Black as Jennie Malone. Additionally, Casey Cline is George’s brother Leo and Autumn McMurry plays Jennie’s friend Faye Medwick. As the play begins, George enters his apartment, having just returned from a trip abroad, to find his brother Leo waiting for him. Leo is sure that since enough time has passed since his brother’s wife Barbara passed away and that George felt well enough ostensibly to visit Europe, that his brother was ready to get back “out there”. Leo sets George up with a number of prospective dates, but each one seems to work out worse than the last, George not sure that he even wants to start dating. Additionally, it turns out that he took his trip not because he was over his wife’s passing, but rather it was to visit all of the places he and Barbara were at when they traveled there. But then, Jennie Malone enters the picture. Jennie, who has just finished going through a rough divorce, also is not sure if she is ready for any sort of relationship, but when she gets a call from George Schneider, everything changes, for both of them. It turns out, Leo and Faye know each other, and each “know someone” who might be interested in the “someone” that the other knows, those “someones” of course being George and Jennie. After some awkward, but chuckle-worthy phone calls, the two agree to meet. This is a prime example of what Neil Simon does so well, a nervous phone call from George results in his saying things that make you cringe, but that’s only because in film and TV, we’re not used to seeing these kinds of conversations, but they are the sort we find ourselves in time and again. We’ve all made nervous phone calls and end up saying things we never imagined we could, and this is what happens here, and what also occurs is that Jennie is able to see through the nervous exterior of George and realizes that he’s different, different enough to be intrigued. Simon does this throughout Chapter Two. The audience watches as George and Jennie move their relationship forward at lightening speed, much to the chagrin of Leo and Faye. Those two are the voices of reason that are largely ignored by the lovesick duo, but as brother and friend, regardless of the result of their conversations, they’re both looking out for George and Jennie.

Like all Neil Simon plays, he captures the intimate humanity of our relationships. From the nervous beginnings, to the tender moments of falling in love, and even through the rough parts, he puts the entire roller coaster of emotion out there. In Chapter Two, the idea of moving on, both from divorce or loss, is dealt with directly, but delicately. Each side of the relationship is informed by their previous ones, some might call it baggage, but it’s really just life experience impacting behaviors and decision making. George has a rough time getting over Barbara, and it’s up to Jennie to be patient with him, in the same way that Jennie’s divorce has left her with a perspective that George needs to accept. The point is, and this is laid out very clearly here, for this relationship to work, it has to be undertaken together. Capturing all of this on stage is one thing, but taking Simon’s work and really making it relatable to an audience comes down to the actors and the way they are directed. With two locations, George’s apartment and Jennie’s, it’s a challenge to set this in a space with the size limitation that the Jewel Box has, but Karen has presented this in a way that those who frequent the theatre will remember from other productions. Jennie’s apartment is on the left side of the stage, and George’s on the right. Lighting provides focus on which side the scene is taking place on, or on both when a shared scene happens. Recently, Doubt was on stage at the Jewel Box and that show was presented in the same manner. The show does move well, but it’s long, clocking in at about 3 hours, including intermission. The pace of each scene is quick, and each scene is engaging, there are just a lot of them, many of them short. Given that there’s a gap in between with stage hands moving or rearranging props on both sides of the stage, these breaks do add up. All this said, it seems like the preferred method for changing scenes would be to have the props placed, removed, or moved on the side of the stage that is dark while the scene is active on the other side. Given the layout of the theatre though, that would be too distracting for the audience, so I would say it’s a necessary part of this presentation, and with all of the possible options out there, Karen has chosen what appears to be the most efficient for the space.

When taking the length of the show into consideration, it’s safe to say that if Karen hadn’t done so well casting Chapter Two, it might feel like the 3 hours that it is. Rather, it moves very quickly, it’s engaging and emotional, and all of this comes down to the actors. Raymond is excellent as George Schneider. I love the emotional intelligence he displays in this role, he’s the grieving widower, the nervous schoolboy with a crush, the tortured man who feels like he has to tackle it all himself, and the genuinely good hearted man who wants to love Jennie, while trying to make sure he never forgets Barbara. Raymond’s delivery is consistent and his New York accent very well done. Having seen him earlier this season in Sleuth (BCT) and Doubt (Jewel Box), I shouldn’t be surprised at these sorts of emotional performances with a high level of quality in delivery. His other half is just as good. What I love about Alix in her portrayal of Jennie is the sheer believability of it. When Alix looks at Raymond in their conversations or their tender moments, Jennie is looking at George the way I would expect her to. It makes those moments that much better, and makes the audience feel invested in their relationship. There’s also something about her delivery and her phrasing. Alix has a maturity to her her cadence, it’s very refined, as if she’s mastered the practiced craft of stage dialogue so well she leaves the audience hanging on every word. These two make this pair feel real, from their joy to their sorrow, it’s all laid out there for the audience to experience along with them, and it’s ultimately what makes this work so well.

Supporting the wonderful performances are Casey and Autumn as Leo and Faye. Casey’s Leo is the brother who wants the best for George, and who isn’t afraid to take a risk to make sure he doesn’t get hurt. There’s a scene in Act 2 when he confronts Jennie about the speed of her relationship with his brother, that is when Casey is at his best. It’s an emotional turn that shows the true heart of the character, and the breadth of Casey’s ability. For Faye, Autumn truly comes into her own in Act 2. She’s steady throughout Act 1 as Jennie’s support system, but there are scenes later in the show, both with Jennie and without, in which Faye opens up and risks herself emotionally. Autumn handles these scenes very well and shows the dimensionality of her talent. Very well done.

I like this presentation of Chapter Two. Yes, it’s long, but I’ve attended shows with a similar running time that feel twice as long as this one. Though the scene changes break the flow a bit, the pace of the action more than makes up for it. Plus, it’s a nicely designed show. The costuming, from Beth Anne Galloway and Karen Hauser, inform the characters’ personalities nicely, and the scenic design of the show presents Jennie’s and George’s apartments very well. The space within the Jewel Box Theatre doesn’t provide a lot of room to be overly complex with a production and Chapter Two feels sized right.

Chapter Two is the first play in which Neil Simon began to tap into his own life to make his humor feel real and relatable. It’s the story of a widower and a divorcee who are each struggling to move on from their losses and discover that it’s better to get through them with someone else than to carry the burdens alone. Raymond Deuel and Alix Black deliver stunningly good performances in roles that ask them to draw the audience into their characters’ struggles and joys. They carry this show on their backs and truly excel in presenting a funny, relatable, and heartfelt love story.

Chapter Two runs on stage at the Jewel Box Theatre in Poulsbo through May 5. For more information about the theatre, this show, or to purchase tickets, visit https://www.jewelboxpoulsbo.org/.