If your life seems to be a monochromatic brown or grey, you are doomed to be unhappy and alone and even a hearty dose of Prozac is not likely to fix what ails you. Beane, a depressed Christian Shaboo, is in that state and he has accepted it as his normal lot in life. In great contrast to Beane are his sister Joan and hubby Harry, a married –in-real-life couple Susan and George Kulp, who are vibrant and productive, happy to reside in a lovely detailed home, where lively conversations verging on debates take place.
For all Joan and Harry are high on life, and on wine, the contrast to Beane is sad to witness. They try to help him, to reach into his psyche and strike a chord of humanity, but Beane is clearly not at home. To enter this world of differences, head to the New Haven Theater Company’s current offering of John Kolvenbach’s quirky comedy “Love Song” playing until Saturday, November 17.
Ironically it is a robbery that sets Beane on a new path and wakes up his desire to join the human race. In an apartment, where his most treasured possessions are a spoon and a cup, Molly the thief, the real life daughter of the Kulps, Jo, has arrived to steal. She is disappointed and really angry that Beane is bereft of anything of note. Where is his artwork, his television and stereo, not a thing worth pinching can she find. Finally she settles on his jacket and jeans, but she berates him for his paltry pickings. Their verbal exchanges are amusing.
Who is Molly and how and why has she given Beane a sense of hope and promise and I daresay love. Joan and Harry are mystified by this new elusive and expansive being. Yet they are secretly elated. They suspect drugs are the answer for what else could explain the drastic changes in personality and outlook. What is more troubling is they can’t find a trace of Molly no matter where they look. Margaret Mann and John Watson direct this foray into fantasy and riff with reality.
For tickets ($20), go online to nhtcboxoffice@gmail.com. The New Haven Theater Company, 839 Chapel Street, New Haven is located at the back of the vintage consignment shop EBM, the English Marketplace. Performances are at 8 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
Watch how a turkey sandwich, a melon, a cup and spoon, a mousetrap, wallpaper, a jelly donut and a lot of wine influence and transform the lives of all the participants in this wildly different song of love.
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