The Cemetary Club

A bittersweet comedy about four Jewish American widows who visit their husbands' graves together and lust after the eligible man in their lives -- at times tender, at times sentimental, at times hilarious, at times camp Older members of the society should start brushing up their accents immediately

This uninspiring title conceals a journal of a play. Three superannuated, feuding, Jewish widows visit the cemetery to gossip with their husbands every month. A chance meeting with a butcher changes their lives for ever. Funny, wise and gloriously witty.

The Cemetery Club is a "women's play". This is a term you sometimes hear derogatorily applied; it signifies something soft hearted, maybe melodramatic, definitely emotional - a weepie, afternoon fodder, something like that. Why is it that we are so scared of the tender, what is warm and humane? To pigeonhole the play is to limit its human richness.

Yet it must be acknowledged that it is a "women's play". Its main characters are female. Its tone is gossipy, sentimental, sometimes camp. What is discussed could be said to occupy the feminine mind: friendship, cooking, husbands, romance, clothes, weddings, weight gain, etc. All of which begs the question: what is it doing being written by a man? (Also, what is it that drove a man to want to direct it?)

Actually American men are rather good at inhabiting the female psyche. Neil Simon has written a number of plum parts for ladies. Tennessee Williams pretty much made his reputation writing about the female temperament (Who can forget Blanche Dubois, Amanda Wingfield and Maggie the Cat?). Edward Albee has enjoyed an Indian Summer with Three Tall Women. Robert Harling, perhaps less well-known as a writer, is responsible for the moving Steel Magnolias, a hit on stage and screen.

And in this illustrious list we should also include Ivan Menchell because, let us make no bones about it, The Cemetery Club is an excellent play.

Apparently Mr Menchell has a number of other play credits to his name and has also written for television and film; but, even if this were not the case, his skill should be applauded just for The Cemetery Club. Admittedly its title is not a winner (we would make a strong case for Playing The Field but feel Kay Mellor might have something to say!), but, apart from that, the play contains a number of good jokes, dazzles with its one-liners (Thank you, Miss Switzerland"), is well constructed, sports excellent stagecraft, has much theatrical potential (not least the costumes and dancing) and contains luscious parts for three mature actresses but also a pretty damm good one for a middle aged man, Even Mildred, "the small role", has its place and indeed offers good opportunities for characterisation despite occupying a measly five minutes or so of stage time. One may be cynical and suggest the play finds itself in production because its cast is likely to fit the age profile of the acting membership of most amateur dramatic groups. However, such a statement loses sight of the fact that this is a well made play, with parts to kill for, that oscillates delicately between pathos and comedy, and which can give most of Neil Simon's oeuvre a run for its money.

I hope you enjoy this. We certainly have. I'm sure by the end of it you will appreciate why a man proposed this "women's play" to The Nonentities and made himself available to direct it. Beware of labels and poor titles: they hide the truth!