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Reviewer:
Sarah Terez
Rosenblum
Tuesday Apr 22, 2008
In an episode
of "Six Feet Under," a couple have a
fascinating, wrenching, collapse-of-civilization
type of fight. The kind few writers are brave,
nuanced or skilled enough to replicate, the kind
that happens only in real life. Even if
"Intrigue with Faye" writer Kate Robins's bio
did not describe her as the "Emmy award-winning
writer/producer of 'Six Feet Under,'" I’d like
to believe I would have made the connection.
That's how singular her writing style is, and
how well the woman knows her way around an
argument.
A
multi-media, "Who's Afraid of Virginia
Woolf"-style drama/comedy, "Intrigue with Faye"
runs its fingers over the complicated quilt of
communication between therapist Lissa (Leah
Nuetzel) and filmmaker Kean (Steve O'Connell),
two vivid characters whose relationship eroded
when they weren't paying attention. Through a
conversational marathon composed of live
dialogue and video, the play situates infidelity
as symptom, not disease. While it could be
argued that watching an educated,
upper-middle-class couple fight isn't exactly
theater as social change, witnessing Lissa and
Kean's taut two-hour conflict is navel-gazing at
its most revelatory. Flawlessly directed by
Mitch Golob, the show challenges us to consider
the chasm we create when we are dishonest, not
just with each other but with ourselves.
One caveat;
do not see this play if you and your significant
other are on shaky ground. If however, your
personal life is skimming blithely along, and
you enjoy that punch-in-the-gut sensation of
queasy recognition that comes from seeing your
worst moments live on stage, "Intrigue with
Faye" will blow your mind. Sure it ends a tad
abruptly, providing a bounty of bombshells
without much closure. But isn't that how most
arguments go?
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