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The cast of \u201cRumors\u201d at Players Circle Theater join hands and take a final bow at the end of Neil Simon\u2019s beloved farce. -PLAYERS CIRCLE \/ COURTESY PHOTO<\/p>\n
When Producing Artistic Director and Co-Founder\u00a0Robert Cacioppo crafted Players Circle Theater\u2019s 2025-2026 season, he saw more than a collection of provocative upcoming productions.\n<\/p>\n
He saw a growing family.\n<\/p>\n
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As the plot of \u201cRumors\u201d unfolds, Neil Simon\u2019s witty banter and physical comedy shine in Players Circle Theater\u2019s production. -PLAYERS CIRCLE \/ COURTESY PHOTO<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I look at this season, I see the ensemble of Players Circle getting wider and stronger,\u201d he said. \u201cI have great respect for the actors in our ensemble, and now we\u2019re 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.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
That sense of intimacy between actors and audiences embodies the essence of the company as it opens the season with Neil Simon\u2019s \u201cRumors.\u201d 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.\n<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want everyone to be able to enjoy our theater,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s why we keep our tickets as reasonable as they are.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
Cacioppo chose \u201cRumors\u201d to kick off the season because \u201cthere\u2019s nothing like opening a season with a fantastic comedy.\u201d It\u2019s the fourth time he\u2019s directed the play, and he believes that this production may be the best.\n<\/p>\n
\u201cRumors\u201d 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.\n<\/p>\n
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Actors Steven Coe, Frank Blocker and Lauren Elizabeth Reed react to the calamities unfolding in a scene of \u201cRumors\u201d at Players Circle Theater. -PLAYERS CIRCLE \/ COURTESY PHOTO<\/p>\n
\u201cI 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,\u201d Cacioppo explained.\n<\/p>\n
That closeness underscores Simon\u2019s witty and emotionally resonant dialogue, giving the characters genuine relatability and authenticity.\n<\/p>\n
\u201c(Lenny) is an acerbic New York accountant to the somewhat-wealthy and connected. The character isn\u2019t trying to be funny, so the actor shouldn\u2019t try to be either. A sincere and believable character is paramount. Timing takes care of the funny. I hope audiences\u2019 tummies will hurt from laughing so much \u2014 a pain worth having,\u201d explained actor Frank Blocker, who plays Lenny in the production.\n<\/p>\n
For Carrie Lund Cacioppo, who plays Claire Ganz in \u201cRumors,\u201d the play offers audiences a mirror into human behavior through the lens of comedy. \u00a0Lund Cacioppo, who is married to director Robert Cacioppo, is Co-founder and Managing Director of Players Circle Theater.\n<\/p>\n
\u201cSimply describing (the play) as a comedy is an understatement. \u2018Rumors\u2019 is a red herring mystery, displaying outlandish stereotypes \u2014 verbal and physical gymnastics \u2014 revealing our human flaws, and is resolutely a romance,\u201d she said.\n<\/p>\n
Lund Cacioppo has performed the role of Claire twice in the past, and each time, she uncovers new insights and a fresh perspective.\n<\/p>\n
\u201cThe 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,\u201d Lund Cacioppo observed.\n<\/p>\n
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Frank Blocker, Elizabeth D\u2019Aiuto, Lauren Elizabeth Reed and Steven Coe react to a dinner party gone terribly wrong in \u201cRumors\u201d. -PLAYERS CIRCLE \/ COURTESY PHOTO<\/p>\n
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.\n<\/p>\n
\u201cCookie is a bit ditzy, eccentric and suffers from extreme back spasms with a dramatic personality,\u201d she said. \u201cThe 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.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
Actress Elizabeth D\u2019Aiuto portrays Cassie Cooper in the show and is captivated by the depth of meaning behind the laughter in Simon\u2019s play.\n<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2019Rumors\u2019 explores themes of misinformation, lies, scandal and the shifting power dynamics between men and women. It\u2019s both challenging and rewarding to shape a character from the inside out to build her world \u2014 her relationships and motivations \u2014 even when they aren\u2019t fully spelled out on the page,\u201d said D\u2019Aiuto.\n<\/p>\n
After the opening production of \u201cRumors,\u201d Cacioppo fills the remainder of the 2025-2026 season with heartfelt and provocative choices.\n<\/p>\n
\u201cI always seek to do a wide variety of plays \u2014 comedies next to musicals, plays about family. And I\u2019m especially proud when we can present premieres to our audiences,\u201d he said.\n<\/p>\n
Included in this season\u2019s lineup are the Broadway musical \u201cLittle Women\u201d and the Pulitzer Prize\u2013nominated play \u201c4000 Miles.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2018Little Women\u2019 has not been done in the area,\u201d Cacioppo said. \u201cWe 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\u2019s based on a classic book and that it\u2019s a period piece.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\u201c\u20194000 Miles\u2019 is small and gentle and the kind of play you lean into. It\u2019s a great vehicle for my wife, ensemble member Carrie Lund. This play deals with aging, but it\u2019s really about the relationship between a grandmother and a grandson and the journey they take to love and understand each other,\u201d he continued.\n<\/p>\n
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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 \u201cRumors\u201d. -PLAYERS CIRCLE \/ COURTESY PHOTO<\/p>\n
Interspersed between premieres, Players Circle will revisit two popular favorites. The holiday comedy \u201cHo! Ho! Ho! The Christmas Show\u201d returns by popular demand, and \u201cI Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti\u201d promises a creative mixture of cooking and storytelling.\n<\/p>\n
\u201cIn over 200 plays that I\u2019ve produced or directed, I have never had a play that more people have requested me to produce again,\u201d Cacioppo said. \u201cI love the uniqueness of eight audience members getting a full dinner and being part of the play.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\u201cOver the Tavern\u201d is a coming-of-age story set in 1950s Buffalo, which Cacioppo believes will evoke a sense of nostalgia in audiences,\u201d Cacioppo said.\n<\/p>\n
\u201cI 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\u2019s 1950s. I bet a lot of our audience will have memories of their own childhood seeing this play. Plus, it\u2019s just so very, very funny,\u201d he observed.\n<\/p>\n
The season will close with \u201cSame Time, Next Year,\u201d a romantic comedy Cacioppo first directed in 1992.\n<\/p>\n
\u201cIt will be nice for audiences to revisit an old friend. It will feel fresh and new \u2014 a delightful revisit for audiences. We have a superb cast with Kimberly Suskin and AJ Mendini.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
The 2025-2026 season at Players Circle remains true to its mission of keeping professional theater accessible and intimate in Southwest Florida.\n<\/p>\n
\u201cWe listen very hard to our audiences,\u201d Cacioppo said. \u201cWe believe when someone buys a ticket or a subscription, they become a member of our circle. There is no play without an audience.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
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.\n<\/p>\n
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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 \u201cRumors\u201d. -PLAYERS CIRCLE \/ COURTESY PHOTO<\/p>\n
\u201cThe 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,\u201d Cacioppo said.\n<\/p>\n
It\u2019s hard work and innovation that guide Players Circle\u2019s vision for the future.\n<\/p>\n
\u201cI 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\u2019s the famous Thomas Jefferson quote? \u2018I believe in luck, and the harder I work, the luckier I am,\u2019\u201d he observed.\n<\/p>\n
\u201cThe great joy for me, after close to 50 years of directing plays, is being in the room. It\u2019s so exciting to be in the room with great artists and a great play. You never know what will be created. It\u2019s always a joy. And quite honestly, a lot of laughs.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
Throughout the rehearsal process for \u201cRumors,\u201d Lund Cacioppo has found parallels between her character and timeless qualities of human behavior.\n<\/p>\n
\u201cHelping 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,\u201d she said.\n<\/p>\n
Blocker appreciates Simon\u2019s ability to convey realistic characters through ridiculous circumstances.\n<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we\u2019re willing to do and put up with for our long-term partners is the emotional core beneath Simon\u2019s slapstick. Neil Simon has a way of capturing New York characters and their very unique use of language,\u201d he described.\n<\/p>\n
\u201cAudiences 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,\u201d added Myers-Madoian.\n<\/p>\n
D\u2019Aiuto said, \u201cIt\u2019s amazing to see how a show evolves, how we grow with each other as a cast, and how every moment finds its rhythm.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
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.\n<\/p>\n
In The KNOW:\n<\/p>\n