"Flower Water" murky at Bang and Clatter

While not a fan of many "contemporary" scripts, this show is one I couldn't miss. Please remember that I primarily review productions from community theatres. For this show - which I was suprised to see being performed just south of Cleveland - I am making an exception.
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Written by Craig Wright, one of the lead writers for the HBO Series Six Feet Under, "Orange Flower Water" in script form is a powerful set of scenes which detail the disintegration of two married couples' lives. It is one of the few instances I know where divorce is not a simple part of the plot, or something that happens - this entire show is an exposition of the ugliness and despair that people often don't think about when contemplating adultery or consider abandoning a partner, with a brief glimpse of hope and bittersweet tenderness at the end.

At Akron's The Bang and The Clatter Theatre Company, Director Sean McConaha's version falls somewhat short of poignant, but is worth seeing nonetheless.

In a brief 90-minutes (with no intermission), we are introduced to Beth (Jen Klika) and Brad Youngquist (Daniel McElhaney) and David (Mark Mayo) and Cathy Calhoun (Teresa McDonough), two couples who know each other from church and from youth soccer games. Secretly, Beth and David have been flirting and carrying on behind the scenes for three years. It is from the culmination of their flirtatiousness that the scene is set for this production.

Both Beth and David are upset because they feel they have married the wrong person; angry husband Brad, who runs the local video store and admits he's a "prick," ("Everyone knows...that's who I am!") threatens to tell the children ("I'll tell them their mother is a whore") and even makes the dubious "informant" phone call to Cathy. McElhaney plays the role of Brad with relish and when the proverbial chips fall down, plays his weakness equally well.

The highlight of this show is the unrestrained performance of the talented Jen Klika, who is outstanding as Beth. She is able to go from 0 to 60 in seconds, one moment contemplating sexual intimacy and the next moment falling back on her Christian upbringing and stepping back. Her confrontation with angry husband Brad and subsequent tearful breakdown is one of the most moving and disturbing moments in the show.

Mayo as David and McDonough as Cathy appear to be largely disinterested; McDonough's character seemed more like an obsessive-compulsive cariacature of a woman than a real person, and at no time did it appear that either she or Mayo shared any real emotions or feelings. David's closing monologue - which is intended to be poignant and moving - comes off as dry and unconvincing. Only when David shares the stage with girlfriend Beth does Mayo's quality work come to life.

For a modern day tragedy and a more realistic portrayal of divorce and the disintegration of the family unit than you will ever see on most TV shows today, BNC's "Orange Flower Water" is worth a look, if only to see Jen Klika at her best....But you'll probably be left wanting to see it again in a different venue just to make sure you didn't miss anything.

"Orange Flower Water" runs through February 9th at Akron's The Bang and The Clatter Theatre Company, 140 E. Market Street, Akron. You can reach the box office at (330) 606-5317. Tickets are $15.