is the darkly funny nightmare that should be fearing: dwindling days dominated by a bitter caretaker.
Summoned by a deathbed plea from his estranged aunt, middle-aged misanthrope Kemp ( ) arrives full of faux solicitousness. He barges into the bedroom of an elderly woman ( ), who apparently is rendered speechless at his presence.
With his mute, bedridden audience, Kemp rants in bursts punctuated by blackouts, complaining about his own perceived and real misfortunes.
Peering through the bedroom window, Kemp mocks a neighbor who seems, like him, to keep a constant eye on the world outside. He sneers at a man with one leg. He snatches away a breakfast tray because he’s “concerned about” his aunt’s health: “It seems to be improving.”
As Kemp gasses on, Figel is silent (only two words in act one), but her face speaks volumes. She seems alternately fearful, intrigued, charmed, repulsed, puzzled, saddened, pleased and fascinated by this trainwreck of a human being.
She has more to say in act two, including a revelation that reinforces Kemp’s bitter view of humanity in general and elderly women in particular.
And yet just prior to this bombshell, Kemp has been — well, not exactly coming out of his shell, but he’s allowed his eye-stalks to protrude enough to perceive that there’s more to the one-legged man than serving as a punchline to a bad joke.
Hecht is terrific as Kemp, evoking the lonely little boy who grew into this bellicose, fretful man. Figel is a wordless force of nature, touchingly arresting and complicit in her silence.
As a venue, the is oddly wonderful. The rich designs of hanging rugs evoke a Bedouin tent, and their thickness insulates the theater from the ambient Cherry Creek North traffic noise. Those sitting on the high risers must make sure their chairs keep from slipping off the back row.
“VIGIL.” Written by Morris Panych. Directed by Billie McBride. Starring Larry Hecht and Pattie Mintz Figel. Through Oct. 27 at the Shaver-Ramsey Showroom, 2414 E. Third Ave. Tickets, $25-$28, via 303-800-6578 or .
Claire Martin: 303-954-1477, cmartin@denverpost.com or twitter.com/byclairemartin
