In an episode of "Six Feet Under," a couple have a fascinating, wrenching, collapse-of-civilization type of fight. The kind few writers are brave, nuanced or skilled enough to replicate, the kind that happens only in real life. Even if "Intrigue with Faye" writer Kate Robins's bio did not describe her as the "Emmy award-winning writer/producer of 'Six Feet Under,'" I’d like to believe I would have made the connection. That's how singular her writing style is, and how well the woman knows her way around an argument.
A multi-media, "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf"-style drama/comedy, "Intrigue with Faye" runs its fingers over the complicated quilt of communication between therapist Lissa (Leah Nuetzel) and filmmaker Kean (Steve O'Connell), two vivid characters whose relationship eroded when they weren't paying attention. Through a conversational marathon composed of live dialogue and video, the play situates infidelity as symptom, not disease. While it could be argued that watching an educated, upper-middle-class couple fight isn't exactly theater as social change, witnessing Lissa and Kean's taut two-hour conflict is navel-gazing at its most revelatory. Flawlessly directed by Mitch Golob, the show challenges us to consider the chasm we create when we are dishonest, not just with each other but with ourselves.
One caveat; do not see this play if you and your significant other are on shaky ground. If however, your personal life is skimming blithely along, and you enjoy that punch-in-the-gut sensation of queasy recognition that comes from seeing your worst moments live on stage, "Intrigue with Faye" will blow your mind. Sure it ends a tad abruptly, providing a bounty of bombshells without much closure. But isn't that how most arguments go?
Reviewed by Centerstage!
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