CHELSEA, MI–With all the tension in the country this year, theatre patrons may well be looking for escapist theatre. And if that’s what you are looking for, then rush on over to The Purple Rose Theatre for What Springs Forth.

The new play, by Carey Crim, has a paper-thin plot about four women gathering in the woods. Two of them, Sallie Ben (Sonja Marquis) and Robyn (Dwandra Nickole) believe it is for a girl’s weekend at a spa/retreat facility with cucumber slices on their eyes, foot massages and aromatherapy. Their friend, Emma (Sarab Kamoo) and her “partner,” Malou (Suzi Regan) have lured the two into the woods for what is actually survival camping.

The roughly 90-minute play is an almost non-stop cascade of gags related to menopause, vibrators, vaginas, shoes, the adolescent sexuality of their sons, aging, social media, relationships, business failures, purses packed like steamer trunks and fish-out-of-water comedy.

There was raucous laughter by the overwhelmingly female audience the day I attended. So, that’s an indication that the jokes and gags are landing. But they became so predictable by the end of the play that I knew they were coming before they arrived.

Sketch-comedy plays with little point or plot seem to be increasing in popularity. I suppose that’s fine if people want to go to the theatre and just laugh. It is becoming abundantly clear that the country wants a break from the tension that is typically found in a well-crafted play about the human condition, and theatres fighting for audiences and gate receipts feel they should “give em what they want” to keep the doors open.

The actors here are deliciously funny with the material, and work excellently as a team. Direction by Kate Thomsen delivers well on the light comedy written by Carey Crim.

The set design by Sarah Pearline is excellent, creating a kind of clearing in the woods with a rock formation center stage and another at the performance area perimeter and a real or real-looking tree, with the same leaves and flowers found on the tree hanging from the ceiling of the performance area, suggesting a real grove in the forest. A contraption that represents a car that Sallie Ben and Robyn drove to the campsite is a net piece of kit too.

Properties Design by Danna Segrest, Costume Design by Suzanne Young, Lighting Design by Noele Stollmack, Sound Design by Victoria Deiorio.

This production of “What Springs Forth” contains adult content and may not be suitable for children under the age of 13.

Performances of “What Springs Forth” at The Purple Rose run from Friday, June 21 through Saturday, August 31, 2024.