Max and Stephanie, who were once passionately mad for each
other, have settled into a polite domesticity, while Sandy and Maddie, who were
once ingenuous sweethearts, are now suffocating under the weight of parenthood.
Amid bright chatter and clever talk both couples give an appearance of harmony.
Yet, two of the partners are involved in a sexual escapade while the others
dream of escape. Playwright Maura Campbell briliantly shows how these hidden
needs threaten to destroy both marriages. It’s an intriguing play, with a Chekhovian
view of modern relationships, where the image we project is in direct contrast
with the yearning child within.
All in the ensemble cast are riveting: Avery
Clyde and Adam Mondschein are the sophisticated couple with an apparent perfect
marriage, Jessica Noboa and Patrick Joseph Reiger are in constant conflict as
both parents and wary allies, while Kara Hume is an almost supernatural being
as their child carrying the weight of her parents angst. 
Hume also displays a
beautiful voice when she sings an aria suggested by the play’s opera title.
Directed
with bold energy by Jeffrey Wienckowski, the garden-like set is by Christopher
Scott Murillo, with lighting by Boris Gortinski, sound by David B. Marling, and
flower-bedecked costumes by Halei Parker. Produced by Zeljka Z Gortinski and
Ellie Jameson for Road Theatre Company.
At
The Road on Magnolia, NoHo Senior Arts Colony, 10747 Magnolia Blvd, North
Hollywood, through July 26. For tickets
866-811-4111 or www.RoadTheatre.org.
Photos by John Lorenz.
Also reviewed in the July issue of NOT BORN YESTERDAY.
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