Jennifer, Who is Leaving at Urbanite

SARASOTA — Urbanite Theatre in downtown Sarasota recently presented the regional premiere of Morgan Gould's dark comedy Jennifer, Who is Leaving.

On a snowy Sunday night along a rural Massachusetts highway, Nan is working the night shift at Dunkin, while playing babysitter to her husband over the phone. Jennifer, a nursing home caregiver, is at her wit's end with Joey, an aging dementia patient with the temperament of a spoiled toddler. Lili feels the heat of the next day's SAT exam, although her father insisted she go to work in the middle of a storm rather than finish prepping for the big test.

Jennifer, Who is Leaving is a poignant play about women's experiences in the various stages of life and their accompanying tribulations. It is smartly written with hilarious dialog, each word of which rings true.

Trezure B. Coles and Susanne Grodner. Photo by Sorcha Augustine

The play opens with Nan on the phone with her husband. The audience gets a one-sided conversation that amounts to a brilliantly delivered monologue, immediately setting the tone for this 90-minute roller coaster ride that is almost entirely comprised of a single ongoing scene. Suzanne Grodner expertly establishes the character of Nan, the quintessential New England working-class matriarch who rises to meet the challenges of her hardscrabble life with impressive resolve.

Veteran stage actor Ned Averill-Snell is delightful as the foul-mouthed Joey. Hurling insults from his wheelchair, the character pours tension onto the story by the bucketful. Newcomer Treszure Coles gives a breakout performance as Lili, the only character looking forward to what comes next in life.

The story is essentially about the stages of life. One character looks to the future, and one looks to run from the present. One has resolved themselves to what remains, and the other is too far gone to be anything but angry and resentful at being able to see the end of the road.

Back on the Urbanite stage for the first time in more than five years, Urbanite Creative Director Summer Dawn Wallace gives a jaw-dropping performance as Jennifer, a woman nearing middle age in a life that hasn't played out anywhere close to how she had imagined. With a searing intensity, Wallace gives us a stunning portrait of a woman in flux, one who sees but a crack of light remaining before the door of even limited possibilities slams shut for good.

Susanne Grodner and Ned Averill. Photo by Sorcha Augustine

At times side-splittingly funny, at times heartbreakingly sad, Urbanite's Jennifer, Who is Leaving is a front-to-back brilliant play brought to life by an inspired cast. It runs through Dec. 1. Visit the Urbanite website for schedule and ticket info.

Dennis "Mitch" Maley is a novelist, as well as an editor and opinion columnist for The Bradenton Times. In addition to his regular Sunday column, he hosts our weekly podcast and does occasional theater, restaurant, and wine reviews. He is a graduate of Shippensburg University and later served as a Captain in the U.S. Army. Click here for his bio. His novels and short story collection are available here.