FUTILE ATTRACTION and
In the great tragic romances, wisdom about love is hard won. After killing Desdemona in a jealous rage, Othello cries out that he should be remembered as a man who loved “not wisely, but too well.” Both he and Desdemona learn the wages of jealousy, but at least they had a good thing going before Iago went and ruined it. The poor souls in the two one-act antiromances One Day Short Theatre has picked for its premiere production also have love problems. But rather than go through the hassle and mess of an actual relationship, these modern lovers try to take shortcuts to a wise perspective on love.
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Such is the folly of Bobby and Mike in Paul Surace’s Futile Attraction, who sit in a pickup bar playing the “Is she looking at me?” game and hoping some gorgeous woman will find them instantly irresistible. When it becomes all too clear that this will not happen, they start to formulate outrageous theories that will make their rotten luck more palatable. Boasting knowledge of all the intricacies of human sexuality, Bobby suggests that women gravitate to the good-looking bouncers and bartenders because they’re wearing tuxedos: “They associate tuxedos with marriage.” Bobby also tells the all-too-pliable Mike that “This ‘boy meets girl’ thing is a scam. Women call all the shots.” However, their ultimate solace is numbness, as Bobby triumphantly exclaims, “Boy meets girl, bullshit! Boy drinks beer!”
Director Shelly Taylor stages both works with terrific comic style, but her imagination is obviously sparked more by Wasseen’s script. Using the odd dimensions of Cafe Voltaire’s space to best advantage, Taylor plays with the depth of the stage in the shadows and light of Mark A. Fossen’s lighting design. She also explores the comic possibilities of these cramped quarters by having Johnny spy on Laura and Jake from behind a potted plant. The actors also seem driven by the script. Michelle Nance plays Laura as breathless and fickle at first, but later shows us how strong she can be. Darren Kennedy is hilarious as Jake, the man of stone who can’t stand the sight of blood. Fossen is also very funny as Wright, a sniveling coward posing as a lover.
