Female friendships focus of TNP’s ‘Savannah Sipping Society’
The Savannah Sipping Society opens January 12 at The Naples Players. It’s a delightful, laugh-a-minute comedy featuring four unique Southern women in need of escaping their boring daily routines.
There’s –
- Randa (Kristin Cassidy), a workaholic perfectionist who is struggling to cope with a surprise career derailment that reveals she has no life and no idea how to get one;
- Dot (Peggy Monson), a widow who is reeling from her husband’s recent demise and the loss of their plans for an idyllic retirement;
- Marlafaye (Ruth Johnson), a boisterous good ol’ Texas gal trying to come to terms with losing her tom-cattin’ husband to a twenty-three-year-old dental hygienist by wreaking righteous revenge on her ex; and
Jinx (Gerrie Benzing), a spunky ball of fire who offers her services as a much-needed life coach for her three friends.
At an unplanned happy hour, they resolve to turn their newfound sipping society into a weekly platform from which to break out of their ruts and renew the enthusiasm for life they’ve lost through the years. Their raucous humor and collective strength see them through a string of unexpected challenges. But over the ensuing six months, they discover lasting friendships and a renewed determination to live in the moment. In the best tradition of female friendship films like The Women (Joan Crawford, Rosalind Russell), A League of Their Own 
(Geena Davis, Lori Petty, Madonna), Steel Magnolias (Julia Roberts, Sally Field, Shirley MacLaine, Dolly Parton) and Sex and the City (Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis, Cynthia Nixon), they also realize it’s never too late to make new old friends.
The Savannah Sipping Society was penned by Jones Hope Wooten – the playwriting trio Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope and Jamie Wooten. Specializing in comedies with Southern charm and strong female characters, the trio has authored numerous comedic misadventures, including The Dixie Swm Club, Dearly Beloved, Christmas Belles, The Red Velvet Cake War and Always a Bridesmaid. 
Their plays have been produced by theater companies across the country as well as in Canada, Denmark, Japan, the Netherlands, Australia, Germany, Mexico, the Virgin Islands, England, Taiwan, Scotland and Kenya.
The Savannah Sipping Society runs January 12 through February 6, 2022.
December 2, 2021
About the Author
Tom Hall is both an amateur artist and aspiring novelist who writes art quest thrillers. He is in the final stages of completing his debut novel titled "Art Detective," a story that fictionalizes the discovery of the fabled billion-dollar Impressionist collection of Parisian art dealer Josse Bernheim-Jeune, thought by many to have perished during World War II when the collection's hiding place, Castle de Rastignac in southern France, was destroyed by the Wehrmacht in reprisal for attacks made by members of the Resistance operating in the area. A former tax attorney, Tom holds a bachelor's degree as well as both a juris doctorate and masters of laws in taxation from the University of Florida. Tom lives in Estero, Florida with his fiancee, Connie, and their four cats.