Amy Motta, Marieh Delfino, Jack Esformes and Leith Burke (Photo by Kerttu Karon)
Reviewed by Steven Vargas
Zephyr Theatre
Through April 28
Love and marriage are intertwined but never guaranteed as a dynamic duo. Now at the Zephyr Theatre, Adriana Aragon and Foursome Production’s presentation of Donald Margulies’s Dinner with Friends — winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2000 — has the makings of an intimate interrogation of this idea but lacks a level of sophistication that could bring a 1998 perspective to today’s audience.
The play follows two couples — one made up of the happy duo Gabe (Jack Esformes) and Karen (Marieh Delfino), and the other made up of Tom (Leith Burke) and Beth (Amy Motta) on the verge of a horrific split. It all begins with Beth falling apart at the dinner table with Gabe and Karen, spilling all the details of Tom’s affair and his decision to leave the marriage. As the secrets of Tom and Beth’s 12-year-long relationship unravel, Gabe and Karen struggle to take sides as they seek to understand who is at fault (often turning on themselves for introducing the two in the first place). Soon, Gabe and Karen begin to reflect on their own marriage.
The narrative is hard to grasp, especially when the protagonist is never clearly defined. Dinner with Friends starts from Beth’s perspective but quickly shifts to Gabe and Karen, and occasionally back to Beth. The identity of the protagonist isn’t truly clear until the very end. The writing, while award-winning, proves to be a piece of its time, leaning heavily on a patriarchal perspective with little leeway for the wife’s voice to be heard over vague excuses shouted by Tom. His claims of her disinterest in him are loosely supported and poorly portrayed on stage, making his character weaker and difficult to root for. The same goes for Beth.
The play is riddled with loose threads — including Tom’s advances on Karen and Beth’s potential affair at the start of their relationship. The audience is left to wonder about their purpose in the plot. In the end, they land as surprises planted for the shock factor.
Under the direction of Peter Allas, the scenes shine as one-offs. Beth and Tom’s argument in the bedroom adds palpable tension and lays a solid foundation for the duo’s relationship, but outside of the moment, the energy crashes.
The performances are embellished with physical comedy in all the right places. After Karen learns about Tom’s affair, her distrust in him shows in every ounce of Delfino’s performance. When he reaches for a hug, she simply pats his side and walks away — with perfect timing. The same flair for comedy extends throughout the show, keeping the audience on the edge of their seats, waiting for the next release of laughter.
Dinner with Friends concludes with another moment in the bedroom, this time with Gabe and Karen.
The two sit in bed discussing their friends’ new lives without each other and are forced to think about how to avoid the same ending in their marriage. Karen’s sharp quips and Gabe’s aversion to conflict fade and the relationship outside of friendly outings and elaborate dinners surface.
Esformes’s performance takes on a new texture — raw and emotionally packed. It’s a side to Gabe we haven’t seen before. He turns to Karen with one of his old tricks that he’d done throughout their entire relationship. But instead of looking for a laugh, he looks for a loving gaze. He gets it.
The scene is the most powerful moment in the entire show, revealing a softness in the characters that contrasts with the largely comic body language in the rest of the production. Suddenly, the play’s true tone and emotional center, which had been avoided, is finally revealed.
Zephyr Theatre, 7456 Melrose Ave., W. Hollywood; Fri.-Sat., 8 pm, Sun., 2 pm; thru April 28. www.OnStage411.com/Friends
