WGBH'S JARED BOWEN REVIEWS RIPCORD
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Read the transcript of the interview:
"A delicious comedy! You'll laugh without limit and sigh with satisfaction, especially with these two infinitely mesmerizing stars."
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Jared Bowen: This is a new comedy to end the season at the Huntington Theatre Company. It’s about two women in an assisted living facility. Their names are Abby played by Nancy Carroll, and Marilyn played by Annie Golden who you may recognize from “Orange is the New Black.” And these two women don’t necessarily get along, so they decide to have a bet about who will get the bed next to the window. The bet is that since Abby claims that she has no fear, could she actually be scared? Marilyn says she never has anger, so could she be risen to anger? It becomes this very, very delicious comedy. I would say its once both life-affirming and totally demented. So, you’ll laugh without limit and sigh with satisfaction, especially with these two infinitely mesmerizing stars. I should mention this is written by David Lindsay-Abaire, a South Boston native, Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning. But I had the chance to speak with the stars of Ripcord including Nancy Carroll, who gave me some insight into her character about the bitter and isolated Abby and how she braced for the role.
Nancy Carroll: At first I read them and I thought, “really, that’s what he… ok.” But the longer I spent with the character, I realized, “oh yeah, ok yeah,” her filters are definitely off and these lines are a cause of great laughter for the audience because I don’t think they can believe she is really saying these things.
"An extremely fun, laugh-filled night at the theatre"
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Jared Bowen: Sometimes it’s even hard to hear them because there is so much laughter, thunderous laughter. I also spoke with Annie Golden, who as I mentioned stars in the Netflix series “Orange is the New Black,” which drops tomorrow by the way. She plays the silent character, Norma. But I asked her about especially at this age when these retired women have completely lost their filters how she perceives them.
Annie Golden: Well I feel like they’ve earned it. They earned their honesty. They’ve earned to be diplomats or not to be diplomats. They’ve been around a long time and they deserve to say things the way they want to say them. And Marilyn is you know as Abby accuses her is fronting as a sweet, you know a sweet, innocent little miss sunshine. But, she can get down and dirty too when she has too.
Jared Bowen: This is just an extremely fun, laugh-filled night at the theatre.