Their swan song in this tidy and intimate space is the deliciously delightful “Six Degrees of Separation” by John Guare and directed by the visionary Len Matheo. The script is spicy with racial tension, class discrimination, with a dash of humor. The audience is immediately pulled into the story by the underlying tension between the main couple, Flan and Ouisa Kittredge, skillfully portrayed by Josh Hartwell and Lisa DeCaro. A flashy, Upper East Side New York couple busy racing to the top in their perfect clothes, living in their perfect homes and with perfect appearances, which include the perfect Ivy League schools for their perfect children, they’re so impressed with themselves, what they live for is just one more opportunity to best themselves.
What they are not is genuine. They collect and broker genuine art for a living, a subtle juxtaposition. The piece of art by Wassily Kandinsky in the Kittridge’s home is a centerpiece in their living room which is celebrated for featuring a painting on either side of the canvas. The Kittridges change the painting around from time to time, an excellent detail into the lives of its owners.
The most pathetic vacancy in their lives is relationships, especially true and meaningful relationships with their own children. The insensitivity to this reality is the perfect void that can be quickly filled by a Paul, (Theo Wilson) a visitor posing as a friend of their children’s from school. Paul quickly navigates his way into their insecure world. The exchanges in this opening scene are suffocating on this intimate stage suggesting a knowingness, but each character is carefully strutting their colors to look the most stunning to this stranger.
However, there is a most surprising connection between Paul and a central character as they discover a part of themselves that can give; they are each in need, and recognize a desire to help the other. It’s a tragic discovery, but this scene is staged cleverly as if each character occupies a frame of a comic overlapping with the other in a different location in the city. The audience sees a yearning that is real and you want this to work. It’s new to both characters; they are connected. Against all odds. An unlikely connection, which may result in honesty.
It’s a treat to have such an outstanding cast, each vibrantly portraying their individuality in this complex and competitive world. Each character is fully themselves as they interact with each other, but alone, they are being stripped of their confidence, the victim of their own undoing.
The outstanding cast includes Theo Wilson (Paul), Josh Hartwell (Flan), Lisa DeCaro (Ouisa), Cindy Laudadio Hill (Kitty), Charles Wingerter (Larkin), Sonia Justl (Elizabeth), Stephen Swofford (Rick), David Blumenstock (Dr. Fein), Matt Sheahan (Geoffrey), Jose Zuniga (Trent), Joe LaFollette (Woody), Caitlin Tomlinson (Tess), Zachary Page (Ben), Loren Cogswell (Doug), Erik Siegling (The Hustler), Addison Parker (Doorman/Policeman) and Rich Beall as the Detective.
Performances are Fridays and Saturdays through April 1 at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $25 ($20 advance) on Fridays and Saturdays; $21 ($18 advance) on Sundays. Tickets are available by calling 303-839-1361 or online at www.vintagetheatre.com at Vintage Theatre, 2119 E 17th Ave, Denver, CO 80206.
