This

This  was neither 'this' nor 'that'.

We saw the play This, by Melissa James Gibson, at Barrington Stage 2 last night. A rather confusing plot involves four people who have known each other and have been friends since high school, who are entering middle age- if 38 is really considered middle age.

  Erica Dorfler

Marrell, played by Erica Dorfler, is married to Tom, played by Eddie Boroevich. They have a small child who is mainly heard crying off-stage. Jane, played by Julia Coffey, is recently widowed. They are trying to set her up with Jean-Pierre, played by Paris Remillard, a 'Doctor without Borders'. Alan is their gay friend.

   Eddie Boroevich

In the opening scene they play a game with Jane as 'it', wherein she asks questions that are answered 'yes', 'no, or 'maybe', depending   on whether her question ends in a vowel, a consonant, or a y. She, of course, gets caught up in the non-story and decides it's all about her and her dead husband. She leaves in anger.

  Julia Coffey

Tom comes to her apartment and confesses he has always loved her. They have sex- standing up and fully clothed. Now they both feel guilty.

  Mark H. Dold

The rest of the play concerns their guilt, Marrell's unhappiness with her marriage and Alan's desire to go to Africa with Jean-Pierre, who turns out to be bi-sexual.

   Paris Remillard
 
Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln.... 

All of the actors seemed like fine thespians but there was too much emotion with too little plot.

At the very end, Jane has a solo scene, talking to her daughter who is asleep and whom we have never seen. She apologizes for what a miserable mother she has been. The End.

Whew!

The play was directed by Louisa Proske.