Theater Review by Myra Chanin . . . .

The Lost Virginity Tour at the Delray Beach Playhouse is a curious mishmash. I initially found the initial frame—four superficial women who meet periodically at the Happy Trails Retirement Community Baking Club—irritating, dated, conventional, and dishonest . . . until the four performers, who portrayed these characters with outstanding artistry, craft, and compassion, exposed the depths of each woman’s emotional history which allowed me to locate myself in their murky midst. 

Roy Rodgers’ anthem, “Happy Trails,” accompanied the square Baking Club President, Elaine (Elise Levine), as she set the table for the home-baked, family-recipe-based sweets baked by herself, the Merry, Married Rita (Raven Adams), and Southern Drawling Belle Kitty (Betty Anne Hunt Strain), along with store-bought goodies from mean, bossy and sex-oriented Mamma Mia Viola (Sharon Pfeiffer). When these four friends start swapping stories about their “first time” tears, laughter, memories, and secrets are revealed. Romantic but vague phrases like “beautiful,” “pre-planned”, “at Granny’s,” and “paradise” encourage Viola to bake up the idea of taking a cross-country road trip to revisit each location where “it” happened and learn about each one’s introduction to sex in more hilarious but sometimes harrowing detail. 

A friend who attended the opening night performance texted me during his intermission, telling me the packed auditorium contained an equal number of men and women who found the first act giggle-worthy. He also said I would love it. I didn’t at first, but there was enough truth in it to force me to deal with my own coming-of-age secrets. My generation grew up belly button deep in shame, programmed to feel like the lesser sex, and told endlessly that nobody would buy our milk if we gave it away for free. Wrong! They did.

I thought the title of the play would attract large audiences, but on its second night, when I saw it, only half the seats were filled—and by considerably far more females than males. Obviously, coupled snowbirds had already made their way home to join their families at Passover and Easter feasts. My+1, nonplussed by the lack of younger people attending, blamed their scarcity on a paucity of publicity. Wrong! Females coming of age today consider sex a non-emotional, iPhone kicked-off activity, as in “After I met him for a drink, we hooked up at my place.” Those details could impress or be mocked with friends. It seems that in sexual matters the more things change, the less they stay the same.

Back to basics. My audience seemed to love the show and constantly laughed and applauded during the first half until Viola’s post-intermission confession explained why all four of her marriages went kaput. The tour ended on a hopeful note when Elaine, who knew why the love of her life had left her, stumbled onto why he never returned and was determined to do something about that, post haste. 

Playwright Cricket Daniel has been happily married for 25 years to Jason, holds a theater degree from UC Santa Barbara, studied Shakespeare at Cambridge, and also has an extensive background performing improv and stand-up. At a performance of someone else’s play, she found herself thinking, “I wanna be that guy,” and started her first play, Couple Dating followed shortly by Love, Laughter & Lucca; Gina Galdi and Guest; Helen on Wheels, and I Shot Jennifer Lopez, which have all toured theaters in the US. 

The Lost Virginity Tour. Through May 19 at the Delray Beach Playhouse (950 NW 9th Street, Delray Beach, Florida). www.delraybeachplayhouse.org 

Photos: Jeremy Quinn