For Montgomery County fans of serious theater, your time has come! But don’t be scared off by that word “serious,” because while Jean Ciampi’s delightful play, POTATO GUMBO, touches on many universally important themes, it is also full of enough gentle fun and warmly comic wit to make it a very joyful journey. Now Playing through May 10th at Conroe’s Owen Theater, this latest production from The Players Theater Company is a total gem.
It is also worth mentioning that this important play has a considerable history, including an early “reading” in 2016 at the Echo Theatre, where works by women playwrights are highlighted. It was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama that same year, and has the distinction of losing that award to one of the most legendary Broadway shows ever, the classic musical, Hamilton. Nevertheless, the plays popularity has continued with numerous Community Theatre productions during the past ten years. This polished production, skillfully directed by Jeff Merriman, displays on the clean, crisp set design of Susan Moss.
As the scene opens, we are in the pleasant family room of a nursing care facility in Columbus, Texas. We don’t know it yet, but the faintly audible strains of Harry Connick Jr.’s “Do you Know What it Means to Miss New Orleans?” are giving us a slight clue of plot lines to follow.
Enter Gretchen (Cindy Siple) and Thomas (Rusty Groos), two elderly residents at the facility. They seem a bit wound up for reasons that are not initially clear, but as things move along, we learn the two friends had just had an unauthorized adventure, taking off for a joy ride in his car with the goal of getting to “The Big Easy,” so that Gretchen could fulfill her culinary dream of studying at the New Orleans School of Cooking. (Yes, she wants to perfect her recipe for Potato Gumbo!)
Now, if you think that all sounds a bit wacky, it turns out that there were some local highway patrolmen that would be in total agreement. They took the pair into custody and returned them to the nursing home. But the deliciously flighty and endlessly merry, Gretchen, laughingly considers the whole affair to be a lark. There is a whimsical and childlike innocence about her, that quickly establishes her as the compelling central force in this intriguing comedy/drama. Miss Siple’s skillfully sensitive performance is endearing as she deftly navigates the delicate balance between old age and senility. She and Thomas have a kind of Bonnie and Clyde mischievousness that we immediately forgive because of the growing love and friendship we see between them.
But nervous Thomas is increasingly worried about Gretchen. Thomas’ son, Jack (Daniel Rodriguez), often comes to visit his dad, and although sometimes bewildered by nursing home drama, he is generally supportive of his father. The real fun begins when the somewhat light-fingered Gretchen cheerfully reveals that she has made off with a pair of handcuffs she found in the police car. Thomas is suitably horrified and quickly begins frantically scrambling around the room for a place to hide them. He wants them out of sight before Ms. Hollbrook (Kristin Bays), the very serious director of the Home, gets wind of what the two had been up to.
As things progress we meet two more amiable residents, the perky and pleasant, Gail (Peggy Sampson), and the husky and flamboyant, Jim, (Henry de la Garza). Jim has no shortage of good humor and colorful tropical shirts. (You’ll have to buy a ticket to see his over-the-top and uproarious flowered golf pants in one scene). Fans of slapstick humor will find plenty of amusing bits during this show.
The fun begins to escalate when it is discovered that that same light-fingered Gretchen has managed to get hold of Hollbrook’s set of building master keys. It even includes the key to the liquor cabinet, which is ordinarily never opened until the supervised Happy Hour at 5:30 each evening. Like old folks everywhere, these characters know their time is basically limited, and there is something sweet about their inclination to just have a little harmless fun without worrying about what everyone will think.
But someone who is definitely not happy is Gretchen’s exasperated daughter, Barbara (Jaime Lyn Faulkner), who is now at her wits-end learning of her mother’s police car escapade. She is particularly unhappy that Thomas participated in that caper. In a way, Barbara is symbolic of the play’s overriding theme that there can be generational conflict when adult children suddenly find themselves as caregivers for their aging parents. Audience members will certainly recognize the significance of this universally important issue. In one very dramatic scene, Barbara clashes so fiercely with her mom that she reveals a troubling secret that changes the whole direction of the story. At first, I wondered how in the world the play could now have a satisfying ending?
But the author, Jean Ciampi, was way ahead of me. A local resident of The Woodlands, Texas, her clever plot twists guide this story in for a soft landing in a way that really allows audience members to thoughtfully come away with the conclusion that works best for them. Bravo!
The Players Theatre Company’s, POTATO GUMBO, continues thru May 10,2026 at the Owen Theatre, 225 Metcalf St. in Conroe, Texas. Performances are Friday’s and Saturday’s at 7:30 pm and Sunday matinees at 2pm. For tickets and information, visit http://www.playerstheatrecompany.com .
A member of both The Lambs Club Inc. and The American Theatre Critics Association (ATCA), the columns of DAVID DOW BENTLEY III have appeared on Broadway websites, in newspapers from the East Coast to the Gulf Coast, and may be viewed online at the website: www.ThePeoplesCritic.com . E-mail may be directed to ThePeoplesCritic3@gmail.com.