The Southern couple, the gay man and the British lesbian will make audiences laugh uncontrollably, while Ruth (played by sophomore Lily Zahn) and Austin (sophomore Austin Field) will leave viewers tense with anticipation as they try to revive a quasi-relationship of the past. Who are these two people, and what have they gone through since they last met for one night in the Island of Capri? "Later Life," a one-act comedy written by A.R. Gurney and directed by junior Ned Berger, has all the answers.
This 75-minute play, a Pen, Paint, and Pretzels (3Ps) spring workshop production, will undoubtedly keep viewers laughing. But as Zahn says, the show has "undertones of the past" that hint at a dark secret that drove Ruth and Austin apart years ago. Now, as they meet in their "later life" at a dinner party in Boston, they begin to share with each other the hardships and grief they have faced over the years.
A former navy officer, Austin is divorced. He is reserved, polite and surprisingly unable to recognize the mysterious woman at the dinner party as the Ruth from his past. Austin is a character with many levels, and he seems as if he is haunted by something. Field himself, though he has the same name as his character, found the role difficult. "I am so different from the Austin in the play," he said.
Throughout the play, viewers wonder what happened in Austin's past. In Zahn's words, "he's burdened by this sense of impending doom," and through conversations, the cause of this doom is eventually exposed and resolved.
Ruth is more sociable and vivacious than Austin, and she appears to have experimented a lot with jobs, men and living situations over the years, moving around sporadically. Zahn, who acted in "6 Characters in Search of an Author" and in "The Vagina Monologues" last year, takes on Ruth's role confidently, prodding and provoking Austin in order to jolt his memory of how they met.
When the other guests arrive at the dinner party, the humorous scenes begin. These comedic guests incessantly interrupt the conversation and temporarily halt development of more serious issues. It is their unique and almost ludicrous identities that make their intervention so hilarious. Their idle conversation topics and body language only add to the humor.
These comedic interludes, featuring as many as nine different characters, break up the main scenes that primarily feature Ruth and Austin. The nine comedic roles are played by two sophomores, Alison Lisnow and Royi Gavrielov. The show was challenging for both students. "It's not easy to play such diverse roles," Gavrielov said.
Garielov plays an old Southern husband, a nerdy tech guy and an old man, among other characters, and he said that he had never played roles similar to any of them or been part of such a small, cohesive cast.
"This play is more low-key," Gavrielov said. "It is about love and the connections that people make."
Lisnow also plays multiple roles and said that perfecting the costume, voice and gestures of each was the key to successfully conveying five distinct personalities. She perfected the Southern drawl, but the true test will come in playing the British lesbian who can't explicitly state that she is a lesbian but instead hints at it in conversation with Ruth.
"Later Life" promises all sorts of excitement thanks to the underlying tension between the main characters, the hilarity of the nine supporting roles and the anticipation surrounding the outcome of Ruth and Austin's relationship.
"Ned has a clear vision," Field said. "So while the play has elements of suspense, all the loose ends are ultimately tied up." "Later Life" is thoroughly entertaining and skillfully combines romance, comedy and suspense.
"Later Life" will run twice this evening in the Balch Arena Theater, once at 8 p.m. and once at 10 p.m. The play is free and no tickets are needed.
