Nobody enjoys making live theater as much as Orfeo Group. Every production feels like a special event everyone’s enjoying immensely. Unfortunately, these ‘events’ only happen about once a year.
The company’s latest production, “Love Song,” is a quirky tale that runs the gamut from outrageously funny to sappy and melodramatic as it explores the blurred line between fantasy and reality. Cristina Todesco’s superb set uses reality as a backdrop for fantasy while creating a great divide between the haves and the have-nots who meander between the two worlds.
On one side, the haves (husband and wife Joan and Harry, played by Liz Hayes and Daniel Berger-Jones, respectively), live the dream as a severely self-important couple tossing caustic barbs at nearly light-speed. On the other side is Joan’s brother Beane (Gabriel Kuttner), a toll collector whose worldly possessions fit in one small bag.
Joan — a power-hungry, intern-firing professional who can’t function without a full glass of wine — her mild-mannered husband and her emotionally challenged brother engage in hilarious, albeit mean-spirited, banter. Hayes’ brisk, bitter delivery and Kuttner’s flawless comic timing make you wish this dialogue lasted all night. Harry’s determined attempt to diagnose Beane’s “problem” provides an opportunity for Berger-Jones and Kuttner to play it straight with riotous results, (unless you’re a bird-lover).
The mood and the plot shift with the arrival of Molly (Georgia Lyman), and that’s when it could go horribly awry in lesser hands. But director Risher Reddick’s impeccable attention to detail and the full commitment of an extraordinary troupe of actors make this a “Love Song” you don’t want to miss.
