Following three divorced mothers, “Women in Jeopardy” is set to feature on the Pioneer Theatre Company stage as their next show of the season, providing a fun and lively way to escape the gray February skies.
Wendy MacLeod, the playwright behind the show, is certainly no stranger to Salt Lake. In 2012, PTC produced her play “Find and Sign,” and last year saw her “Slow Food” featured in their 2015-16 Play-By-Play series. Her work also includes the plays “Sin,” “Schoolgirl Figure” and “Things Being What They Are,” along with the “The House of Yes,” which was adapted into an award-winning film.
MacLeod took inspiration from Utah when she was here for performances of “Find and Sign” to create “Women in Jeopardy.” The story features scenery of the Salt Lake valley and southern Utah. She described the need to have familiarity with the setting of her plays, and her time in Utah had provided just that. “Salt Lake offered the opportunity for cozy domesticity, unfounded Mormon rumors and wilderness adventures,” she said.
The storyline of “Women in Jeopardy” centers on three women, Mary, Liz and Jo, who get more than they bargained for when Liz dives back into the dating world. PTC’s Equity cast features Anne Tolpegin as Mary, with Elizabeth Meadows Rouse as Liz and Rosalyn Coleman as Jo.
Tolpegin, who also performed in this season’s “The Last Ship,” has Broadway and national credits ranging from “Kinky Boots” and “Billy Elliot,” to “A Tale of Two Cities” and “Ragtime.”
With performances everywhere from Shakespeare’s Globe to New York’s Theatre for a New Audience, Rouse is returning to Pioneer after a twenty-year hiatus. Coleman is currently coaching directors at Sundance Film Festival, in addition to her work as an adjunct professor at SUNY Purchase and NYU. Joe Gately plays Liz’s new boyfriend, although it is not certain if he really is just a harmless dentist. Betsy Helmer plays Liz’s daughter Amanda, and CJ Strong plays Amanda’s not-too-bright boyfriend Trenner.
Karen Azenberg, director for this season’s “The Last Ship” and “Oliver!”, directs this production. Scene designer Daniel Meeker returns to Pioneer after working on “Outside Mullingar” and “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” and Erin Carnigan will be designing costumes in her Pioneer Theatre debut. Lighting is designed by Phil Monat, who most recently worked on “An Inspector Calls,” while resident designers Amanda French and Joshua C. Hight design hair & makeup and sound respectively.
“Women in Jeopardy” opens Feb. 10 and runs through Feb. 25. Tickets are available at the box office or online at www.pioneertheatre.org. Students are eligible to purchase half price tickets for performances Monday through Thursday, or purchase rush tickets at the box office one hour before curtain with their UCard. Free tickets to the final dress rehearsal are also available to students the Monday after a previous show closes.