Who knows why that first aquatic creature slithered out from the water onto solid ground and decided to stay? That tantalizing question both inspires and haunts playwright Edward Albee in his thoughtful and ultimately hopeful Pulitzer Prize-winning play, “Seascape.”
It’s a thoughtful play about transition and evolution — both of the marital and Darwinian variety. Why does a bird leave an egg, or a child leave a home? Why does one spouse leave a mate? Why does another choose to stay? It just seems to be the natural order of things. Instinct.
These are big, fertile questions. And you’d never know by all the first-act ruminating on such things between two retired beachcombers that “Seascape” is about to experience a Big Bang of its own.
The gasp-inducing arrival of a second couple suddenly evolves Albee’s 1975 gem of a play into a laugh-out-loud domestic comedy now being capably performed by the Lake Dillon Theatre Company.
And while this younger couple seems anything but a mirror image of the older one, it really is. Suddenly, this becomes a curious play that will get tongues (and tails) wagging.
Back to the beginning: Nancy (Jennifer Condreay) and Charlie (Jim Hunt) are an eminently recognizable later-life couple at fundamental odds about how they should spend their remaining time together. Nancy feels an almost haunted need to move, to learn, to explore, while Charlie, like most men who have worked their whole lives, has earned his right to stay put.
They share a wonderfully telling quibble over tense: Charlie thinks he has lived a good life; while Nancy believes she is still having one.
In Leslie (Joshua Blanchard) and Sarah (Kelly Ketzenbarger), they see their younger selves — an earlier life form on the marital evolutionary chain. The greener two still frolic; they procreate like mad, and yet, like so many young marrieds, they really know so little about life. In them, Albee has found an original way to talk about our differing notions of coupling, child rearing, faith and fidelity.
But while Charlie and Nancy pass on a few lessons they’ve learned along life’s journey, like all young couples, what Leslie and Sarah still need to know, they’ll have to learn for themselves.
“Seascape” is filled with evolutionary mile-markers: Birds in the sky, for example, are dwarfed and drowned out by their mechanical descendants, the airplane. Charlie frolicked in the water as a boy until he grew up and, to Nancy’s great sadness, became the creature who crawled out of the ocean and never returned. But is this positive evolution — to leave the joys and inhibitions of your childhood behind?
Who among these couples is really the superior life form?
Director Christopher Alleman’s production is marked by Jared Grohs’ evocative beach set and acting that’s quite thoughtful from the older pair and quite charmingly playful from the younger. The excellence of Meredith Murphy’s costume design won’t be detailed, so as not to give away the play’s surprise.
For a play about evolution, “Seascape” resonates most as a meaningful contemplation on marriage and mortality. In a world that can be a frightening and dangerous place — underwater, on land or in the air — what really scares us most? Never once stopping . . . or standing in place?
More “Seascape” photos: Want to see what we’re talking about?
We were careful in this review not to talk too specifically about the exact nature of the couple that plays a surprise visit to Charlie and Nancy on that isolated beach. But if you want to get an up-close look at Sarah and Leslie,
Ticket information: “Seascape” ***1/2 (out of four stars)
Comedy-Drama. Presented by Lake Dillon Theatre Company, 176 Lake Dillon Drive. Written by Edward Albee. Directed by Christopher Alleman. Through May 29. 2 hours. 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; 6:30 p.m. Sundays. $14-$25. 970-513- 9386,
Video podcast: Running Lines with Susie McMonagle of “Billy Elliot the Musical”
This week, we catch up with Heritage High School grad Susie McMonagle, who plays Mrs. Wilkinson in the national touring production of “Billy Elliot the Musical” in Denver through June 5. McMonagle and appeared in “Me and My Gal” at the Country Dinner Playhouse and on Broadway as Fantine in “Les Miserables.” Running time: 8 minutes.
This weekend’s theater openings
“Damn Yankees” Classic 1950s musical about a middle- aged baseball fanatic who trades his soul to the devil for a chance to lead his favorite team to victory in the pennant race against the dreaded New York Yankees. Through June 19. Town Hall Arts Center, 2450 W. Main St., Littleton, 303-794-2787 or
“Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead” What happens when the “Peanuts” gang grows up? That’s what Bert V. Royal’s semi-serious comedy explores. “CB’s” dog is dead, his sister has gone goth, and his ex-girlfriend has been institutionalized for setting a little redheaded girl’s hair on fire. This haunting, hopeful look into the teenage psyche explores love, friendship and the basic desire to belong. Recommended for ages 13 and older. Through May 28. Presented by Devil’s Thumb Productions at Theatre O, 5311 Western Ave., Boulder, 303-506- 5868 or
“Rope”This 1929 classic of the thriller genre features two bored upper-class intellectuals who kill an innocent friend for sport, then throw a dinner party with a guest list that includes the victim’s father, his aunt and a dashing young gentleman with an uncanny resemblance to the deceased. Through June 5. Presented by Theatre ‘D Art at Watch This Space, 128 N. Nevada St., Colorado Springs, 719-357-8321 or
Complete theater listings
Go to our complete list of in Colorado, including summaries, run dates, addresses, phones and links to every company’s home page. Or check out our listings or
The Running Lines blog
Catch up on John Moore’s roundup of the latest theater news:
