Arts Alive! podcast: Roxanne Fay and Bonnie Agan

Playwright David Lindsay-Abaire’s Ripcord is the new show at the Off-Central in St. Petersburg.

Cast members Roxanne Fay and Bonnie Agan join us today in the Arts Alive! studio. They’re both familiar to Tampa Bay theater fans; both have years of memorable performances on their resumes, from dramas to comedies.

Ripcord, which runs through April 19 at the 43-seat black box theater, has elements of both genres. Although it’s officially a comedy, there are tears behind the laughter, and laughter behind the tears. It’s the sort of theatrical razor’s walk at which Lindsay-Abaire (Rabbit Hole, Good People, Kimberly Akimbo) is adept.

Fay and Agan play Abby and Marilyn, respectively, roommates at a senior living facility. They’re different as chalk and cheese, as the old saying goes, and as their personalities clash, as they try to out-maneuver and one-up one another, they (and the audience) learn a few uncomfortable secrets.

Ah, but getting there is the funhouse ride. Alongside a solid supporting cast, Fay and Agan turn Abby and Marilyn into flesh and blood, believable (and frequently hilarious) characters.

Click on the arrow to listen to the conversation.