Review: Fiction

Review: Fiction  | The Three Leaches Theater | Lakewood, CO | Curtain Up! | Gina Robertson

In the words of Tracy Chapman, “There is fiction in the space between.” This is a play all about the fiction in the space between people, even within seemingly honest spaces like private memories and journals. “Write it down, but it doesn’t mean you’re not just telling stories.”

Written by Steven Dietz and directed by Melissa Leach, Fiction is an intimate examination of a love triangle with themes of privacy, honesty, and professional integrity. The story is told through flashbacks and direct-to-audience exposition, allowing for creative juxtapositions and time jumps. This works well because words are the focus, and visual elements like sets, costumes, and props are minimal.

Michael (Paul Jaquith) and Linda Waterman (Laura Steele) are professional writers who have been married for 20 years. A terminal illness brings about a question of what to do with private diaries and journals that have been kept over the years. They will each read the other’s journals and discover truths and fictions about a young woman, Abby Drake (Nicole Caron), who was involved with both of them in the past.

Jaquith portrays an insecure, uninspired man who is painfully aware of his limitations and uncomfortable with his own success. He does a lot of standing around, gesturing helplessly at his wife, at a loss for what to say.

Steele enjoys the benefit of wittier lines. Though strangely focused on journals in a moment of existential crisis, she is bright and engaged, confident and assertive.

The two of them have fallen into a habit of biting off intellectual pieces of each other and spitting them back without ever really saying anything meaningful. For each of them, Caron’s Abby serves such a distinct purpose as to be nearly fictional herself. She is whatever Mike and Linda need her to be at any given point in their lives. She is flirtatious and sexy for Mike, kind and sensitive for Linda. Or she is completely absent. She appears and disappears as needed.

As characters, these three aren’t especially likable, but through skillful performances and direction, they are redeemed enough to form a triangular tragic comedy in which genuine, funny remarks are interspersed with sadness, embarrassment, and introspection.

As noted, a minimalist set is ideal for the particular quirks of this time-jumping tale, but several instances of middle-aged characters getting up and down from the hard cement floor make one’s knees groan in protest. Perhaps a chaise lounge or a floppy floor cushion would be a nice addition to the set.

Fiction is an artful story filled with intriguing moments and memorable lines. Viewers will come away with something to think about. See it through March 21 at The Three Leaches Theater in Lakewood as part of this season’s theme of “complex love.”