Renovations for Six

Reviewed by Iris Mann
Theatre 40
Through August 18

This latest offering by Norm Foster, reputedly one of Canada’s most successful playwrights, is mildly amusing, but it’s not nearly as good as his Screwball Comedy, a delightful and hilarious show produced last year at Theatre 40.

While it’s primarily a comedy, Renovations for Six, now playing at the same venue, also tackles serious topics like relationships, gender and social hierarchy. Unfortunately, they are not presented in an interesting way. The play also suffers from a weak, unfunny and overly long first act. Admittedly, the second act is more amusing, revelatory and enlivened, but it doesn’t quite rescue the evening. Although the issues plaguing the characters are tied up in a bow at the end, the story nonetheless seems incomplete.

The action revolves around a cocktail party given by Shayna and Grant Perkins (Rebecca Driscoll and Lane Compton), who are new to the neighborhood and want to make friends. She is a pilates instructor and hopes to get clients for her classes; he has just started a new job managing a furniture store. Their main conflict stems from Shayna’s complaint that, lately, Grant’s lovemaking has been unromantic and the equivalent of “Wham, bam, thank you ma’am.” He tries to convince her that instant sex is more efficient and can be more gratifying, but she complains that he is taking more time explaining the sex than performing it.

Two of their guests are Billie and Wing Falterman (Gail Johnston and David Hunt Stafford), who were once a showbiz couple with a dance act. She wants to revive their routine and return to performing, but he is content to be head salesman at the store Grant manages. Billie tends to blurt out whatever pops into her head, no matter how inappropriate, and she also jumps to conclusions about other people’s motivations. For example, she mistakenly insists that Grant has invited them because he intends to fire Wing.

Rounding out the party are Veronica Dunn-Dudet (Mona Lee Wylde) and Maurice Dudet (Martin Thompson). She is a busy psychiatrist, resentful because her husband has quit his lucrative job as an engineer to write a novel, so he no longer brings in any money.

The action takes place on a single set which serves as the living room for all three houses. All the occupants are renovating their homes, and, in a sense, their marriages. Two or three couples are occasionally onstage simultaneously, much like a musical round, so that their dialogue sometimes overlaps. Director Howard Storm (who also helmed Screwball Comedy) has choreographed these sequences expertly, and while frequently complex, they are never vague or unclear. The pace needs to pick up a bit, however, particularly in the first act.

The most effective work is done by Wylde and Thompson, partly because their conflict is the most believable and embodies the most urgency, and also because the two actors perform at just the right comedic level. Wylde has an arch, sophisticated and disdainful quality coupled with a strong deep voice that is very pleasing, and she elicits genuine sympathy when, at the end, she breaks down and reveals her inner pain. She also has impeccable timing, as does Thompson, whose sanguine demeanor is supported by a perfectly pitched delivery. His unflappable reaction to her character’s constant digs makes him a great foil for her.

Stafford, who was outrageously funny in Screwball Comedy, has less choice material to work with, yet manages to extract all the humor possible from his role. He is also particularly touching when his character defends his position as a salesman and talks of being satisfied with his lot and taking pride in doing an outstanding job. To his credit, he overcomes the challenge of playing against Johnston, who hasn’t settled into her role yet and is prone to indicating.

Compton (who also performed in Screwball Comedy) is here most successful when he is being defensive or aggressive. At other times he needs more energy and involvement. Driscoll does best when she expresses outrage after learning about the secret her husband Grant has been harboring. At other times, she smiles in an overly saccharine manner.

This is a flawed effort, but the script’s limitations would be hard for any company to overcome.

Theatre 40 — Reuben Cordova Theatre at Beverly Hills High School, 241 S. Moreno Dr., Beverly Hills; Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 2 p.m.; through Aug. 18. (310) 364-0535 or https://theatre40.org. Running time: approximately two hours with one intermission.