The cast of “Rumors” at Players Circle Theater join hands and take a final bow at the end of Neil Simon’s beloved farce. -PLAYERS CIRCLE / COURTESY PHOTO
When Producing Artistic Director and Co-Founder Robert Cacioppo crafted Players Circle Theater’s 2025-2026 season, he saw more than a collection of provocative upcoming productions.
He saw a growing family.
As the plot of “Rumors” unfolds, Neil Simon’s witty banter and physical comedy shine in Players Circle Theater’s production. -PLAYERS CIRCLE / COURTESY PHOTO
“When I look at this season, I see the ensemble of Players Circle getting wider and stronger,” he said. “I have great respect for the actors in our ensemble, and now we’re adding some excellent new actors. I think, like I did 20 years ago at Florida Rep, our audiences will become real fans of our ensemble. I am.”
That sense of intimacy between actors and audiences embodies the essence of the company as it opens the season with Neil Simon’s “Rumors.” From there, the lineup is a striking study in contrasts, featuring both classic and contemporary productions that alternate with comedies, offering audiences a mix of familiar and new works.
“We want everyone to be able to enjoy our theater,” he said. “That’s why we keep our tickets as reasonable as they are.”
Cacioppo chose “Rumors” to kick off the season because “there’s nothing like opening a season with a fantastic comedy.” It’s the fourth time he’s directed the play, and he believes that this production may be the best.
“Rumors” takes place in one evening at a dinner party in New York City, where guests arrive to find their host wounded and his wife missing. As the plot unfolds, a hilarious progression of misdirection and misinformation promises to leave audiences in stitches. The dialogue and physical comedy move at a rapid pace, with increasingly humorous results.
Actors Steven Coe, Frank Blocker and Lauren Elizabeth Reed react to the calamities unfolding in a scene of “Rumors” at Players Circle Theater. -PLAYERS CIRCLE / COURTESY PHOTO
“I think what we do, that no one else does, is give audiences an incredibly intimate experience. An intimate experience, but also in an elegant space. Thirty-foot ceilings, beautiful lobby and bathrooms. There is nothing quite like seeing a play when you can literally reach out and touch the actors,” Cacioppo explained.
That closeness underscores Simon’s witty and emotionally resonant dialogue, giving the characters genuine relatability and authenticity.
“(Lenny) is an acerbic New York accountant to the somewhat-wealthy and connected. The character isn’t trying to be funny, so the actor shouldn’t try to be either. A sincere and believable character is paramount. Timing takes care of the funny. I hope audiences’ tummies will hurt from laughing so much — a pain worth having,” explained actor Frank Blocker, who plays Lenny in the production.
For Carrie Lund Cacioppo, who plays Claire Ganz in “Rumors,” the play offers audiences a mirror into human behavior through the lens of comedy. Lund Cacioppo, who is married to director Robert Cacioppo, is Co-founder and Managing Director of Players Circle Theater.
“Simply describing (the play) as a comedy is an understatement. ‘Rumors’ is a red herring mystery, displaying outlandish stereotypes — verbal and physical gymnastics — revealing our human flaws, and is resolutely a romance,” she said.
Lund Cacioppo has performed the role of Claire twice in the past, and each time, she uncovers new insights and a fresh perspective.
“The story unfolds like the inner workings of a watch. There is constant motion between the mainspring of rumors and all the connecting gears built on those rumors, triggered by ringing phones, arriving cars, doors closing, sudden crashes and gunshots. The cacophony of noise and action is brilliantly orchestrated,” Lund Cacioppo observed.
Frank Blocker, Elizabeth D’Aiuto, Lauren Elizabeth Reed and Steven Coe react to a dinner party gone terribly wrong in “Rumors”. -PLAYERS CIRCLE / COURTESY PHOTO
Robert Cacioppo meticulously choreographs the chaos of the action in the Players Circle production, which offers a welcome challenge to actress Kelly Jo Myers-Madoian, who plays Cookie.
“Cookie is a bit ditzy, eccentric and suffers from extreme back spasms with a dramatic personality,” she said. “The biggest challenge is finding the realism in unusual characters and their idiosyncrasies. Cookie is kookie and a bit of an airhead, but is kind, helpful and proves to be a trouper.”
Actress Elizabeth D’Aiuto portrays Cassie Cooper in the show and is captivated by the depth of meaning behind the laughter in Simon’s play.
“’Rumors’ explores themes of misinformation, lies, scandal and the shifting power dynamics between men and women. It’s both challenging and rewarding to shape a character from the inside out to build her world — her relationships and motivations — even when they aren’t fully spelled out on the page,” said D’Aiuto.
After the opening production of “Rumors,” Cacioppo fills the remainder of the 2025-2026 season with heartfelt and provocative choices.
“I always seek to do a wide variety of plays — comedies next to musicals, plays about family. And I’m especially proud when we can present premieres to our audiences,” he said.
Included in this season’s lineup are the Broadway musical “Little Women” and the Pulitzer Prize–nominated play “4000 Miles.”
“‘Little Women’ has not been done in the area,” Cacioppo said. “We like giving our audiences professional premieres. I also chose it because my Associate Artistic Director, Ted Wioncek, loves it and has been pushing for me to do it for a few years. I also like that it’s based on a classic book and that it’s a period piece.”
“’4000 Miles’ is small and gentle and the kind of play you lean into. It’s a great vehicle for my wife, ensemble member Carrie Lund. This play deals with aging, but it’s really about the relationship between a grandmother and a grandson and the journey they take to love and understand each other,” he continued.
Kelly Jo Madoian, who plays Cookie, and Ricky Pope, who plays Ernie, arrive at the dinner party with a gift in hand during a performance of “Rumors”. -PLAYERS CIRCLE / COURTESY PHOTO
Interspersed between premieres, Players Circle will revisit two popular favorites. The holiday comedy “Ho! Ho! Ho! The Christmas Show” returns by popular demand, and “I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti” promises a creative mixture of cooking and storytelling.
“In over 200 plays that I’ve produced or directed, I have never had a play that more people have requested me to produce again,” Cacioppo said. “I love the uniqueness of eight audience members getting a full dinner and being part of the play.”
“Over the Tavern” is a coming-of-age story set in 1950s Buffalo, which Cacioppo believes will evoke a sense of nostalgia in audiences,” Cacioppo said.
“I have learned, being an artistic director in Southwest Florida, that plays about family really resonate. Fort Myers is a real working-class family-oriented community. This play takes place in Eisenhower’s 1950s. I bet a lot of our audience will have memories of their own childhood seeing this play. Plus, it’s just so very, very funny,” he observed.
The season will close with “Same Time, Next Year,” a romantic comedy Cacioppo first directed in 1992.
“It will be nice for audiences to revisit an old friend. It will feel fresh and new — a delightful revisit for audiences. We have a superb cast with Kimberly Suskin and AJ Mendini.”
The 2025-2026 season at Players Circle remains true to its mission of keeping professional theater accessible and intimate in Southwest Florida.
“We listen very hard to our audiences,” Cacioppo said. “We believe when someone buys a ticket or a subscription, they become a member of our circle. There is no play without an audience.”
A deep understanding of local audiences helped Cacioppo envision a lineup that catered to everyone, ranging from mainstage productions during the winter season to a summer filled with educational opportunities for local students and a variety of live entertainment options.
Cast members Kelly Jo Madoian, Carrie Lund Cacioppo, Ricky Pope, Frank Blocker and Lauren Elizabeth Reed debate what to do after unexpected events happen in “Rumors”. -PLAYERS CIRCLE / COURTESY PHOTO
“The summer season will be less theater and more cabaret shows, comedy, jazz, magicians, mimes and, of course, our continued commitment to programs for the youth of our community,” Cacioppo said.
It’s hard work and innovation that guide Players Circle’s vision for the future.
“I guess what it takes to run a theater of this size, that we want to be world-class, is simply a lot of hard work. What’s the famous Thomas Jefferson quote? ‘I believe in luck, and the harder I work, the luckier I am,’” he observed.
“The great joy for me, after close to 50 years of directing plays, is being in the room. It’s so exciting to be in the room with great artists and a great play. You never know what will be created. It’s always a joy. And quite honestly, a lot of laughs.”
Throughout the rehearsal process for “Rumors,” Lund Cacioppo has found parallels between her character and timeless qualities of human behavior.
“Helping others, something foreign to (Claire), reveals her inabilities and selfishness, where in the end, she becomes an appreciative, loving spouse. I find her very relatable,” she said.
Blocker appreciates Simon’s ability to convey realistic characters through ridiculous circumstances.
“What we’re willing to do and put up with for our long-term partners is the emotional core beneath Simon’s slapstick. Neil Simon has a way of capturing New York characters and their very unique use of language,” he described.
“Audiences 50 years ago and 50 years from now will laugh out loud, howl and giggle at the situations, the complexity of the characters, and the chaos they face. He (Simon) writes of everyday domestic problems of ordinary people,” added Myers-Madoian.
D’Aiuto said, “It’s amazing to see how a show evolves, how we grow with each other as a cast, and how every moment finds its rhythm.”
That rhythm defines this season at Players Circle Theater as the company continues to capture the hearts of audiences through its authentic performances and carefully considered programming.
In The KNOW:
WHERE: 16554 N. Cleveland Ave., Fort Myers
TICKETS: Call (239) 800-3292 or visit playerscircletheater.com