Theater for the New City presents 30 to 40 new productions every year. TNC is dedicated to the idea of making innovative theater available to all. Frog & Peach Theatre Company was founded in 1997.
Over the years, the company has become one of New York’s most respected Shakespearean ensembles. They are famed for their innovative interpretations. They show how Shakespeare encompasses all of humanity. However, country western music was not part of Shakespeare’s vocabulary. Yet here we have the company presenting Three Women, a country western musical. As Lynnea Benson, the director, notes, “it makes sense to go from the Scottish play to a country Western musical.” It is interesting to see how three people who were involved in the production of Macbeth pivot into Three Women. Benson (director), DazMann Still (Macbeth), and Erica Cafarelli (weird sister) all transition flawlessly into this musical.
Three Women was written and composed by Ted Zurkowski. This is his second play produced by TNC. It is a 13-scene country western musical. The set consists of three parts. Stage right there is a setup for a band. In the center is a bedroom. Stage left consists of a table and three chairs. Most of the action takes place on the center stage and stage left.
The band consists of a drummer, Denny McDermott, and two guitarists. Paul Page plays the bass guitar. Ted Zurkowski is the other guitarist. He plays Billy, around whom all the action revolves. McDermott and Page keep the music moving forward.
Three Women is the story of Billy, a forty-five-year-old band leader. He feels that he is a star when on tour. In actuality, the tours isolate him, forcing him to live in the past.
Bonnie, played by Gina-Simone Pemberton, is Billy’s wife. This is Billy’s first woman. Pemberton makes it clear that she has given Billy her mind, soul, body, and heart. Pemberton skillfully portrays a woman who is trying to hold on to her husband. Yet despite three kids and a wife who loves him, Billy has two other women.
Kaylyn Buehler is Lady Billy’s mistress. She is a rich divorcee who has almost everything a woman could want. Yet, she is lonely. Buehler makes it clear that wealth is nothing without a lover. She is willing to take what little affection Billy offers.
Erica Cafarelli plays Ruby, a 23-old waitress in an all-night café. According to Billy, she can “change night into day.” Cafarelli shows us a woman who is aware of her sexuality. Of all the women, she realizes that she has the power over Billy.
Billy’s immediate family consists of his mother (Elizabeth Ruf), father (Steve Taylor), and brother Jake (DazMann Still). Still shows us Jake, a man hiding in a pill-induced dream. Clearly, Jake idolizes his older brother. For all, Billy remains the adored outsider. The discussion between the others clearly shows the cracks in their family. Despite the turmoil and fighting, Taylor, as a father, shows his love for the family. With a single gesture, the mother, Ruf, makes it clear that love can transcend death.
Three Women tells us the story of Billy, a middle-aged man clinging to the dream that he is a star while on tour. The ensemble points out that “He’s alive but living in the past.” Theater for the New City and Frog & Peach Theatre Company have worked together to bring us this unique play. Both are true to their mission of involving the community with an innovative, quality production. Although this is described as a musical, there is no spoken dialogue. Three Women is closer to being an operetta with a dark theme. The fifty-three minutes spent with Three Women is well spent.
