"The Cemetery Club" - by Ivan Menchell - Calliope Productions (Boylston, MA.) - REVIEW
(Cover Photo: The CAST of "THE CEMETERY CLUB" by Ivan Menchell from Calliope Productions in Boylston, MA. now playing through March 30, 2025. Photo Credit: Rob Killeen)
By Kevin T. Baldwin
METRMAG Reviewer
# 774-242-6724
“Ida, no one buys a mink because they need it. You buy support hose because you need it. You buy a mink because you WANT it."
- ("Lucille") / Ivan Menchell
Calliope Productions
Presents Ivan Menchell's
"THE CEMETERY CLUB"
Written by Ivan Menchell
Directed by Matthew J. Carr
Produced by Dave Ludt
Stage Manager Cynthia A. Nardella Ciullo
Cast Includes: Laura Steele as “Ida,” Carol Vancil as “Lucille,” Pat Delano as “Doris,” Evan Graber as “Sam,” Cindy Graber as “Mildred”
Additional Creative Team:
Costumes - Donna Reidy; Wigs - Bethany Arsenault; Props - Kim LiPuma; Set/Lighting Design - Dave Ludt; Sound Design - Rob Killeen; Set Construction - Dave Ludt, Bob Reidy; Box Office - Karen Josbacher.
Performances:
March 20, 2025 through March 30, 2025
(Contact Box Office for Exact Times)
CALLIOPE THEATRE, 150 Main Street, in Boylston, MA.
TICKETS:
For tickets and more information contact the Box Office at 508-869-6887 or visit https://www.ticketstage.com/T/CALLIOPE
BUY TICKETS
COVID 19 PROTOCOLS
Contact Venue for Most Updated COVID-19 Safety Protocols and Information.
(Warning: The following review contains spoilers)
Calliope Productions of Boylston has gathered us together for an intimately charming evening with their fine staging of "THE CEMETERY CLUB."
Written by Ivan Menchell, the two-act play is a compassionate essay on those who find themselves unexpectedly facing the “second act” of their life and are concerned over what the future might have in store.
Caught off guard after suffering catastrophic losses, the characters we encounter learn they must choose to exit the stage of their respective “first acts” in order to allow each the opportunity to re-emerge onto the stage to enjoy the second.
"THE CEMETERY CLUB" was originally produced in 1987 by the Yale Repertory Theatre, premiering on Broadway in 1990 where it ran for 10 previews and 56 performances.
"THE CEMETERY CLUB" would later be adapted into a 1993 film starring Ellen Burstyn, Olympia Dukakis and Diane Ladd.
(Photo: Laura Steele as “Ida,” Carol Vancil as “Lucille” and Pat Delano as “Doris” in a scene from "THE CEMETERY CLUB" by Ivan Menchell from Calliope Productions in Boylston, MA. now playing through March 30, 2025. Photo Credit: Rob Killeen)
We are transported back to Autumn in the year 1990, where we find ourselves in the neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens.
In the Calliope Productions' show, three mature Jewish widows, Ida (Laura Steele), Lucille (Carol Vancil) and Doris (Pat Delano) gather every month at the local cemetery where their late husbands are buried.
With this unusually morbid bond, they become this informal "CEMETERY CLUB."
While the above may sound gloomy in theory, Menchell’s text is actually quite lively, supported by a spirited approach taken by Calliope stage director Matthew J. Carr and his steadfast company of actors.
The single set used for the show is quite well constructed, allowing for easier transitions from Ida's apartment to the cemetery where the widows' husbands are laid to rest.
This transition is always the "Achilles' Heel" of the show as it never seems to get staged right, but Carr and his Calliope creative team have allowed for just the bare minimum showing for the cemetery while using some propitiously placed lighting for lugubrious ambience.
Each of the widows seeks a type of "release" from the morose monthly trend in which they partake - but only one seems ready to take the necessary step toward achieving this release.
(Photo: Carol Vancil as “Lucille” in a scene from "THE CEMETERY CLUB" by Ivan Menchell from Calliope Productions in Boylston, MA. now playing through March 30, 2025. Photo Credit: Rob Killeen)
As the story unfolds, either through some application of observed generational tradition or Jewish stereotype perpetuated by Menchell himself, the widows seem to be the only ones holding themselves back in the process.
Carrying the lion's share of funny lines in the script, Vancil brings great appeal to feisty Lucille, whose late husband had been a purported serial philanderer in life.
Lucille is the most aggressive of the widows and loves to show off - be it in her bragging about her "many admirers" or her new fur coat, but there is an underlying frailty which is not immediately exposed.
Delano balances well the character of Doris, vacillating between her being both the most conservative but also the most needy member of the widows' club.
While all three widows "converse" with their late spouses at the cemetery, it is Doris who appears most neurotic in her approach, to the point of obsessively pruning her late husband's headstone upon each visit.
Although Doris may be far more stoic and judgmental than the others, Delano never makes the character seem overtly shrill.
Ida, as insightfully portrayed by Laura Steele, is the most resolute of the trio.
Ida is at the point where she is ready to move forward and enjoy (the remainder of) her life.
Steele absolutely shines as Ida, who repeatedly serves in the role of intercessor between the combative friends Doris and Lucille.
(Photo: Laura Steele strikes a pose as “Ida” in a scene from "THE CEMETERY CLUB" by Ivan Menchell from Calliope Productions in Boylston, MA. now playing through March 30, 2025. Photo Credit: Rob Killeen)
Both Doris and Lucille are jealous of Sam (Evan Graber), a widowed butcher (and no, he is NOT THAT "Sam the Butcher" of "The Brady Bunch" notoriety), who displays an interest in Ida.
Doris and Lucille "plot" together arranging to sabotage the blossoming interest between Sam and Ida.
While plenty of pathos comes with "THE CEMETERY CLUB," there also comes plenty of humor.
As possibly the most well-rounded character written by Menchell, Ida maintains a unique vulnerability, vacillating between determination and apprehension who seeks to move her life into a new direction…one where she can actually live and not simply maintain.
Ida's determination does not seem to mesh well with the unspoken rule of this highly unusual club, presumably, intended that the three widows are to mourn their husbands together...and exclusively...forever.
Any new relationship such as the one emerging between Ida and Sam would put the club at risk..."grave" risk (sorry - had to), which Doris and Lucille find unacceptable.
Graber showcases a quiet tenderness as Sam, who is a polite, quiet man, an amiable sort and a harmless widower whose love for his late wife is apparent.
However, Sam also knows, too, that he, like Ida, is ready to see if life has another unwritten chapter waiting for him.
Cindy Graber as wedding date Mildred is a noteworthy performance but it is unfortunate that the character is only on for one scene and is not as developed.
Bringing a nice jolt of energetic surprise to the second act, the character might have better served the material if it had been expanded more by the author.
(Photo: Pat Delano as “Doris,” Laura Steele as “Ida,” Evan Graber as “Sam”and Carol Vancil as “Lucille” in a scene from "THE CEMETERY CLUB" by Ivan Menchell from Calliope Productions in Boylston, MA. now playing through March 30, 2025. Photo Credit: Rob Killeen)
Menchell’s script, and the Calliope staging under the refined direction of Carr, has subdued moments of sentimentality, especially at the cemetery, yet never does it become overly depressing or maudlin.
Delano, Steele and Vancil all interact incredibly well together, maintaining the overall pacing of the story.
In fact, the chemistry is so good - and the story so well-constructed - we feel the cast actually consists of more than these three widows (and one widower).
That is because we feel like we get to know a great deal about their late spouses.
So much is revealed about the late husbands and wife, bringing us closer to understanding the sheer depth of "THE CEMETERY CLUB" member's losses - so much so that the departed almost feel present with the living on stage.
Although, if the above were to happen, this would be an entirely different show (with all this screaming and yelling and calls made to the "Ghostbusters"...).
"THE CEMETERY CLUB" continues in Boylston until March 30th, 2025 and is a tender homage to those who have suffered great losses yet now find themselves at a crossroads for how to best release the past and cultivate a future.
Coming up next at Calliope Productions will be the iconic musical "MAN OF LA MANCHA" by Dale Wasserman, Mitch Lee and Joe Darlon beginning May 15th, 2025.
For tickets and more information contact the Box Office at # 508-869-6887 or visit https://www.ticketstage.com/T/CALLIOPE
BUY TICKETS
Approximately two hours, 30 minutes with one intermission.
Kevin T. Baldwin is a member of the American Theatre Critics Association (ATCA)
@MetrmagReviews
@Theatre_Critics
ABOUT THE SHOW
In Ivan Menchell's"THE CEMETERY CLUB" three Jewish widows meet once a month for tea before going to visit their husbands’ graves.
Ida is sweet tempered and ready to begin a new life; Lucille is a feisty embodiment of the girl who just wants to have fun; and Doris is priggish and judgmental, particularly when Sam the butcher enters the scene.
He meets the widows while visiting his wife’s grave.
Doris and Lucille squash the budding romance between Sam and Ida.
They are guilt-stricken when this nearly breaks Ida’s heart.
The Broadway production starred Eileen Heckart as Lucille.
It was made into a film, starring Ellen Burstyn, Dianne Ladd and Olympia Dukakis. (CONCORD THEATRICALS)
ABOUT CALLIOPE PRODUCTIONS
CALLIOPE PRODUCTIONS is a year-round non-profit theatre company founded in 1982 that serves the needs and interests of audiences and performers in the Central Massachusetts region. CALLIOPE PRODUCTIONS presents six main-stage productions each year, and operates performance training workshops for students (ages 9 - 18) and adults. CALLIOPE PRODUCTIONS is a member of the American Association of Community Theatre, the Eastern Massachusetts Association of Community Theatres and the Worcester Cultural Coalition.
150 Main Street
Boylston, MA. 01505
# 508-869-6887
