Nancy putters about the dining room table, putting food on Bill's plate. These two have been married for 50 years, and each silently anticipates the movement of the other. They snap open their linen napkins in perfect synchrony, evoking audience laughter. All is tranquil as this elderly couple settles down to enjoy a quiet meal. After several minutes of silence, Nancy finally speaks. She says, “I want a divorce.”

So ends the dramatic and funny opening scene of "Grand Horizons" (2019) by Bess Wohl, now running at The Stagecrafters Theater in Chestnut Hill. But the "Gray Divorce" phenomenon is no laughing matter. Doubling since 1990, the yearly divorce rate among elders now exceeds the rate of widowing events. The opening sets the tone, a tragicomic exploration of this development. As the show unfolds, it places elderly divorce within the context of all failed marriages and, more broadly, all failed relationships. 

“Grand Horizons,” the ironic name of an assisted living facility, is the setting. The snug apartment feels comfortable thanks to Patricia Masarachia's set design. But paper-thin walls allow noise to intrude. As the drama deepens, this ambiance starts to feel oppressive. Nancy and Bill are isolated, yet not so perfectly cocooned as to ward off a contentious, shouting relationship with apartment neighbors.

Director Jane Toczek needs Bess Wohl’s robust cast of seven actors to center elderly divorce within the context of all relationship problems. Linda Palmarozza is the only familiar face. For the other six actors, “Grand Horizons” is their Stagecrafters debut.

Palmarozza seems born to play Nancy, a dignified woman who shows inner discontent with subtle shifts in carriage and voice inflection. Dan Crozier’s Bill complements her with his comical, uninvolved bearing. Bill’s only interest lies in learning how to tell jokes. He tells a few, and the spectacle is funnier than Bill can appreciate.

The two sons of Nancy and Bill are up in arms when they learn of the divorce plans. In a harried state, both descend on their parents. Ben (James Jesberger) is married to Jess (Jazzy Sinkoff), a professional relationship therapist. Her exercises in couples reconciliation have a satirical bite. 

Jess is also in advanced pregnancy. She struggles to move about the apartment physically. As Jess soon grows weary of the family situation, her therapist stance falls by the wayside and it becomes apparent that Jess and Ben, too, are close to estrangement.

The Two-Act Play

Bess Wohl's script has a flaw. The other son, Brian (Sam Fineman), belongs in a different play. He is gay, and in a lengthy scene, he cavorts with barroom pickup Tommy (Jacob Ryan) while others sleep. We do learn that Ben is deeply conflicted. But the character's struggle with sexual identity is out of step with Wohl's argument about the need for authentic communication in all relationships. 

The pickup scene is full of dime-store chuckles and easy pathos. Ben stays in the closet; to the end, everyone considers him "single." The emerging authenticity of the other family members does not affect Ben, nor does anyone see him. The entire scene is sideshow entertainment. Its true purpose is to extend a 90-minute play to fit into the modern formula of two-act plays with an intermission. 

Neil Simon Revisited

This criticism notwithstanding, the Stagecrafters show is engaging.  Director Toczek picks up the pace in Act Two as "Grand Horizons" comes to a satisfying end. You meet a new character, Carla (Christine MacArthur), a woman Bill met in his Senior Citizen comedy classes. In Carla's tense and comical encounter with Nancy, Palmarozza and MacArthur make you feel the underlying neediness of both women, and the scene helps propel the show to its conclusion. 

For the first time, family members start to speak in earnest. Nancy has all your sympathy. She compares her marriage to the embrace of a boa constrictor and complains she is never seen. Now free from her therapist routine, Jess jumps in to defend Nancy. But you feel she is mainly talking about herself.

"Grand Horizons" seems to take a feminist turn, and then playwright Wohl surprises you. Apart from self-pity, Ben has been a nondescript presence. Suddenly, he speaks honestly about his wants and fears, stunning Jess into silence. Likewise, Bill speaks up as though waking from a dream, surprising everyone with his sympathy and self-awareness. 

"Grand Horizons" has the earmarks of a typical Neil Simon play that has dominated American comedy for a long time. The characters instinctively want to find happiness within the compass of conventional morality but find it difficult. We watch them stumble through life, often appearing ridiculous, until they find rest in a troubled, happy ending. 

Stagecrafters is located at 8130 Germantown Ave. "Grand Horizons" will run through Feb 23. Tickets at 215-247-8881