Riding the Waves of Friendship: 'Wipeout' at Alleyway Theatre

Wipeout, by Aurora Real de Asua, is one in a long litany of tales featuring a group of women, typically three, each representing a distinct character type.  Here we meet Wynn, Gary, and Claudia friends since childhood.  Claudia is the smart and responsible one; Wynn is the sexy and narcissistic one; Gary is a free spirit who has been repressed for most of her life and is only now breaking out of her shell, sadly at the same time that she is facing dementia.

The prototype comes from antiquity, the Three Fates:

• Clotho who spins the thread of life, representing birth and the potential of what may come.
• Lachesis who measures the thread, deciding how long one's life will be and what events will occur within it.
• And Atropos who cuts the thread, choosing the manner and timing of a person's death.

On television, the format is ubiquitous:

Charlie's Angels had Sabrina (Kate Jackson), the smart, level-headed one, who took charge in planning the trio’s missions; Jill (Farrah Fawcett) was he athletic and cheerful, known for deploying her physical prowess and beauty to get what she wanted; and Kelly (Jaclyn Smith), the street-smart, yet compassionate one.  

But think too of the Powerpuff Girls, Totally Spies, The Heathers, Josie and the Pussycats, Mean Girls, The Facts of Life.  Think Sex in the City.

The formula has sometimes been used with great sophistication.  Consider Chekhov's Three Sisters. Olga: The eldest, responsible and nurturing; Masha: The middle sister, discontent, restless, and passionate; Irina: the youngest, idealistic and naïve. Their differences enabled Chekhov to create a riveting exploration of the passage of time and the search for meaning in life.

The differing personalities of these characters and their approaches to life's challenges form the core of each story’s exploration of its themes.

Living on the California coast, the three Golden Girls in Wipeout have decided to shake up their declining years by taking a surfing lesson. Claudia (Olga, Dorothy, Sabrina) has decided that today is the day that she will confront Wynn (Masha, Blanche, Jill) about the meaning of friendship and the realities of aging.

A handsome surfing instructor shows up and takes each woman out to ride a wave.  Other than that, not much happens in this play. It’s a lot of introspective talk, and reminiscence. This is not a face-paced or action-packed 90 minutes. We spend significant pieces of time listening to the sound of the ocean while the four characters bob in the water, courtesy of whimsical surfboards on wheels, placed in a brilliant set by Bryce Cutler, that turns Alleyway Theatre on its side to remind us of the endless ocean horizon.

When it’s all over, Claudia has accomplished her goal, Gary has experienced a great triumph, Wynn has learned a big lesson.

What makes the evening enjoyable is the humanity of these three women, winningly played by the charismatic trio of Christina Rausa (Claudia), Julie Kittsley (Wynn), and Diane McNamara (Gary).  Jacob Applegate plays the amiable young surfing instructor, Blaze, who has an angelic face but an old soul.  

Under the direction of Josie DiVincenzo, the tributaries of the desultory conversation eventual converge into a single current.

Christina Rausa brings a grounded presence to Claudia, skillfully balancing the character's nurturing instincts with her determination to confront hard truths. Rausa's nuanced portrayal allows us to see both Claudia's strength and her vulnerabilities, particularly as she steers the group towards the pressing realities of their last years.

Julie Kittsley infuses Wynn with a vibrant energy and a sardonic sneer that befits the character's charm and self-absorption in equal measure, making her journey towards self-awareness all the more impactful. Kittsley's ability to convey Wynn's gradual and begrudging shift from self-centeredness to measured empathy is particularly noteworthy.

Diane McNamara delivers a touching and complex portrayal of Gary, bringing a poignant mixture of newfound joy and underlying fragility to this diminished but determined woman, making her triumph at the end of the play especially moving.

Jacob Applegate, as the surfing instructor Blaze, provides an uplifting counterpoint to the main trio. His performance strikes a balance between youthful vitality and unexpected wisdom. Applegate's interactions with each of the women help to highlight different facets of their personalities and invite comparisons between the foibles of their youths, and the life situation Blaze finds himself in now.

Under Josie DiVincenzo's direction, the ensemble creates a palpable sense of shared history among the three friends. The actors' chemistry is evident in their natural banter and in the unspoken tensions that simmer beneath the surface of their conversations, as they collectively convey the weight of years of friendship.

Wipeout invites us to consider how we navigate the unpredictable currents of friendship and mortality as Claudia, Wynn, and Gary weave, measure, and contemplate the threads of their intertwined lives against the backdrop of an endless ocean.The production continues through September 28th.  https://www.alleyway.com/shows/wipeout