Lapses – we all have them. Whether of the mental or moral kind, none of us is immune to the occasional break from "normalcy." But what happens when such occurrences become more and more frequent – as they often do as we get older?
That's the question playwright Dan Aibel explores in an often very funny world premiere at the Detroit Repertory Theatre. But poor Murray doesn't find the situation humorous at all!
An aging attorney, Murray and his wife, Muriel, are becoming alarmed by recent "incidents" that might indicate he's going senile. Muriel becomes convinced – and then convinces Murray – that a phone call he claims to have received announcing the sudden death of his vacationing best friend Byron "by squid" is yet another mental lapse. But the damage is done: Murray has already called Sol, another longtime pal, and told him the news. So what do they do now?
Have some more lapses, of course, and not just of the mental kind – but ethical and moral as well.
The characters in Aibel's story aren't the only ones suffering from lapses, however, as the author seems to be toying with OUR minds, as well. (His final scene seems to shatter the conventions he's so carefully constructed throughout the story.) And an incomplete subplot about Murray's daughter's love life is unnecessary – and quite possibly, a lapse of his own.
Charlotte Leisinger's production is nicely conceived and paced, with fine support by the tech crew – especially sound designer Burr Huntington.
MINI-REVIEW:
'Lapses'
Detroit Repertory Theatre, 13103 Woodrow Wilson, Detroit. Thu.-Sun., through June 24. Tickets: $17-$20. For information: 313-868-1347 or http://www.detroitreptheatre.com
