"Before I Leave You," a Cambridge-based drama penned by local playwright Rosanna Yamagiva Alfaro, is advertised as a "love storyforgrownups." This tagline, however, risks oversimplifying the show, which is a story about aging, families and broken relationships — with only a hint of romance mixed in.
The play begins at what seems like a family dinner table. However, audiences quickly learn that the scene is actually set in a Chinese restaurant. The "family" at the table is composed of two middle-aged professors, Koji (Glenn Kubota) and Jeremy (Ross Bickell); Koji's painter wife, Emily (Kippy Goldfarb); and Jeremy's freeloading sister, Trish (Karen MacDonald.) The characters interact, bicker and argue just as a family would.
These dinner-table conversations anchor the play as it nosedives into more complex and abstract territory. "Before" offers audiences a spread of health problems, infidelity and, eventually, true love — or something like it.
The set obtains an academic, quaint tone from the stacks of bookshelves in the background, as well as a surreal quality from its constantly shifting colors. The aesthetics in "Before" highlight the dreamy and subtle depth with which the piece tackles its nebulous themes.
Theme, rather than plot, binds "Before" together. While each scene could stand as a vignette in its own right, together, the scenes explore the confusion of growing old together — and growing old alone. The thought of death shadows the entire show and places a dark lens over Koji's and Emily's marital problems and Jeremy's failing health. Though a little heavy, the plot stays interesting as characters voice their various opinions on Jeremy's issues, and on Peter (Alexis Camins) and Koji distancing themselves from the family.
But, time and time again, "Before" does not take itself seriously enough. Koji has multiple epiphanies about his Asian heritage — a vague term that leaves audiences wondering what exactly he means by Asian and the substance of his realizations. The romantic plot twist at the end is overworked and a little forced with raunchy humor that doesn't seem to fit the rest of the play. "Before" doesn't need a happy ending, and it could very easily have ended on its penultimate scene.
The play's local flavor, however, does add something extra. "Before" is very obviously a play written in close proximity to Boston; it's rife with college professors, references to places in Cambridge and a gag about getting an apartment in Somerville.
The quality of each actor's individual performance varies by scene. Camins is awkward in one-on-one exchanges but has a great group dynamic. Goldfarb is quiet and easily lost among the other actors, but her demure performance seems to stay true to Emily's character. MacDonald's character, Trish, is delightfully irritating throughout the play.
However, the relationship between Jeremy and Koji steals the stage. Their obviously close friendship, and the confusion that arises between them, is something anyone with a best friend can relate to. More satisfying still is how much their final discussion reveals about Koji's character, when the audience that has been determined to like him for so much of the play then feels personally betrayed.
If a show is measured by how much you think about it afterwards, "Before I Leave You" has succeeded in every way possible. It aptly tackles personal issues and asks questions that it doesn't answer. Overall, "Before" is not a must-see, but it's far from painful theater.
