Ah, life.
It would be so much better if we could see the future or change the past.
Or would it?
It’s a question that permeates Sean Grennan’s “Now and Then,” Invisible Theatre’s season opener.
There’s a sweetness to this sometimes bittersweet story about love, dreams and regrets, which is co-directed by the talented Samantha Cormier and IT’s Managing Artistic Director Susan Claassen.
It is often predictable, but so well done we don’t really care.
The play opens as a young Jamie prepares to carry out his nightly duty of closing the Irish-themed Chicago bar where he works as a bartender. Before he can lock up, an older gentleman comes flying through the door. Just one drink, he insists.
A reluctant Jamie complies, and the chatty man settles in. When Jamie’s girlfriend Abby comes in, the couple are offered a large amount of money to let him sit and visit for an hour.
That hour is taken up with the spinning of a fantastical tale that frightens them, captures them, and ultimately sets their lives in unexpected directions.
Yeah, I’m being vague here.
To tell much more would be equal to a spoiler.
The play has plenty of laughs, a set that smacks of a Chicago bar (James Blair, Claassen and Cormier share credit for that), and a cast that shines.
William Seidel plays the young Jamie with a zest for life and an open heart. In the hands of Gabriella de Brequet, his girlfriend Abby is vulnerable, outspoken and very funny.
To watch de Brequet feed her anxiety with Rice Krispie treats is instantly relatable and completely charming.
Michael F. Woodson slips into the suspenders of the older, tired and determined character who is simply identified as Man. His desperation and deep love are so clear. This feels like a role made for him.
The older woman who bursts on the scene right before intermission is given a freshness and an edge by Susan Cookie Baker.
What makes this play particularly delightful is the chemistry the actors have. It allows things to ignite and keeps the audience intrigued.
