Rose's Dilemma

July 25-Aug. 10, 2008

A famous playwright in her decline, Rose Steiner, is desperate for a way out of her creative doldrums. Her solution to her problems forms the underlying story for the Neil Simon play, Rose’s Dilemma, presented by the Wimberley Players July 25 to August 10.

Rose’s Dilemma is a sweet, sentimental, funny walk through a once-famous writer’s life. Rose consults the ghost of her former lover, Walsh McLaren, and together they work out a way to save Rose’s dwindling bank account as they reminisce about their wild ride together during their prime. The fact that their former relationship was far from platonic makes the goings-on between one lover here and the other “elsewhere” quite provocative. “Did you ever really smell a strong, interesting man?” she asks Arlene, her assistant, as she overindulges herself in flowers. “If they could bottle that, there’d be no lonely women in the world."

The principal lovers also set the stage for a budding romance for the next generation of writers. To solve Rose’s writer’s block, Walsh offers her an unfinished story of his own and recommends a budding young male writer, Clancy, to give her a hand with it.  With attractive, young Arlene in the house, the ingredients for romance are all there.

Whitney Marlett Mollahan returned to the Wimberley Playhouse as director of Rose’s Dilemma. She was last seen onstage in Bright Ideas and directed the Players in Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks. Nancy Marlett, producer of the recent Players comedy Bright Ideas, was the producer.

Rose was played by Judith Laird, last seen at the Playhouse as Madame Acarti in Blithe Spirit. Laird is Artistic Director for the Players and a frequent actress on our stage. Lee Stubbs, recently seen in Man of La Mancha, played Walsh McLaren. He has directed, taught, produced, written and acted in a variety of roles for 35 years, and is currently Theatre Arts Instructor at Katherine Anne Porter School. Perry Redden, recent star of Bright Ideas at the Playhouse, was Clancy, and Suzan Kurry, a theatre veteran who recently stage managed a production at Austin's Long Center, played Arlene.