Ronan Noone has written a cheeky little comedy of manners, a
cautionary tale about spreading gossip—where
no good can come from even a germ of speculation because it’s apt to infect
everyone. SCENES FROM AN ADULTERY (playing at New Rep through May 17) is a
smart three hander (I was going to say threesome but, no) about friends who
hang out over dinner or fetch up at a local bar where liquor tends to loosen
tongues and wreak havoc.
Gaspar (Ciaran Crawford) has seen the wife of an (offstage)
friend being affectionate with another man. Instead of telling the friend, he
tells Tony (Peter Stray) who doesn’t tell his wife (Leda Uberbacher)—who finds out and is plenty upset he
didn’t share the story with her as soon as he heard it. Trust, or what passes
for trust, becomes pivotal in SCENES. Where should your allegiance be: With your
spouse or your best friend? Do you have to share everything with your wife? Are
there rules? Each of Noone’s characters believes, and behaves differently, leading
to hilarious consequences when what’s good for the goose isn’t exactly what’s
good for the gander.
Crawford, as the lone bachelor, has a wonderful, show
stopping speech about the ten certain steps to ruin in a relationship, reminiscent
of Touchstone’s seven levels of the “lie” in As You Like It, from the
“retort courteous” to the “lie removed” to the “lie direct.” Director Bridget
Kathleen O’Leary keeps up a brisk pace which adds immeasurably to the
amusement. Stray’s physical meltdown is delightful, as are Uberbacher’s
indignant fits. It’s not easy to write comedy but Noone has the touch. (Except
for what seemed to me an out of character slap, SCENES succeeds wildly as a
gleefully cynical romp—and,
hooray, I didn’t see the end coming!)
