Just like the doctor in David MacGregor's sparkling new play "Vino Veritas," I, too, have always believed that nothing good ever comes from drinking anything colored blue. It's a philosophy that has generally proven true over the years, but theatergoers COULD form a different opinion after attending the play's world premiere at The Purple Rose Theatre in Chelsea.
All is not well in the suburban home of Lauren and Phil. Married 10 years with two children, whatever excitement existed between them is obviously gone. But it's Halloween, and next-door neighbors Claire and Ridley arrive for drinks before attending an annual costume party. This year's beverage, however, is something different: a ceremonial wine made from the skin of the blue dart tree frog that Lauren brought back from a recent visit to Peru. Obtained from their guide's tribe deep within a rain forest, the blue elixir is given to couples the night before their wedding. It's a truth serum, Lauren tells her guests, and if the couples still want to get married after spending the night together under its influence, they do. "I wonder if it really works?" asks Claire, dressed as a virgin queen.
The four soon find out. And when the truth behind Lauren's actions is revealed in the final seconds of the first act, the repercussions could be far greater than any one of them imagined!
Both funny and gut-wrenching, MacGregor's script covers plenty of territory in just under two-hours. From parenting ("Kids behave better if they think one of their parents is flat out nuts") and unreachable expectations ("He has fry cook written all over him") to relationships ("Circumstances change; so do people") and secret lives (the ironic "There's not much we don't know about each other"), the playwright offers wisdom and insight into many aspects of the human condition. A few, some might not want to hear.
But MacGregor especially shines with his meticulous planning and realistic dialogue. Nothing occurs by happenstance; even the Halloween costumes are significant. And he continuously digs deeper into the psyches of his characters, thereby revealing just how human and unpredictable they – and we – really are.
Direction by Guy Sanville is once again slick and polished. (He's a master at staging world premieres.)
So, too, is the set by Daniel C. Walker and the performances by Sanville's four top-notch actors.
Longtime favorite Suzi Regan returns as "psycho-bitch" Lauren, who painfully longs for the excitement she once felt as a globetrotting photographer. "It's so YOU," exclaims Claire when Lauren comes downstairs in her witch's costume. And it is – thanks to yet another memorable performance.
Quetta Carpenter, making her PRTC debut, is lovely as the repressed Claire who is the first to eagerly embrace the blue wine. (Every parent will LOVE her un-Disney-like analysis of "Winnie the Pooh," and her emotional outburst in act two is superb.) And newcomer Tommy A. Gomez is also fine as her husband, the doctor.
But most impressive is Phil Powers as Phil, who reaches deep within himself to create possibly his best character in years, if not ever.
(FOR "REVIEW BOX")
REVIEW:
'Vino Veritas'
The Purple Rose Theatre Company, 137 Park St., Chelsea. Wed.-Sun., through March 8. Tickets: $25-$38. For information: 734-433-7673 or http://www.purplerosetheatre.org.
