From the Director, Cynthia Welling:

“The way I see things, life is both sad and funny. I can't imagine a comical situation that isn't at the same time also painful. I used to ask myself: What is a humorous situation? Now I ask: What is a sad situation and how can I tell it humorously?”

– Neil Simon

How many times have you said to someone, “I laughed so hard, I cried?” Usually we mean the shear physical exertion of laughing brought a tear to our eye, but what if a writer were so skilled that he or she could pull both emotions from you at the same time? “Jake's Women” is Neil Simon's 28th play written for Broadway which is no small fete.

Having written the hilarious “Barefoot in the Park” and “The Odd Couple” among many, many others earlier in his career, Neil Simon's quick, glib comedies have evolved into more resonant comedy-dramas, affectionately referred to as dramedies , uniquely written to elicit personal responses from audiences as they realize they are not the only ones who have ever had a life experience play out like a scene—laughing and crying all the way.

Neil Simon is America 's premier comic playwright and “Jake's Women” marks another hilarious foray into the world of modern relationships. Jake, a novelist who is more successful with fiction than with life, faces a marital crisis by daydreaming about the women in his life. The wildly comic and sometimes moving flashbacks played in his mind are interrupted by visitations from actual females, and, oh, what delightful females they are. Jake's women range in age from 12 to 70 and will offer exciting acting opportunities to the seven talented actresses who are chosen to bring them to life. These interesting, diverse, and very appealing characters come in all shapes and sizes and are sure to trigger a memory or two as you recognize something about each of them in the women in your own life.