Sometimes an author gets a play’s title exactly right. Such is the case with Musical Chairs, a classic image of a game that starts out as simple fun, but where it’s inevitable that someone will lose. This is the framework of Gideon Productions’ latest offering at the Cincy Fringe (God of Obsidian was an award winner in the 2017 festival), beautifully written by Mac Rogers and effectively staged by Jordana Williams, presented at Memorial Hall.
The action involves a sort of “what if” premise: A couple invites a third woman to live with them. They are each individually having affairs with that woman, so at some level, it seems logical. Yet the degree to which none of them truly thought this through provides the play’s conflict. More interestingly, despite the extreme nature of the situation, the play has a lot to say about everyday relationships between all sorts of couples.
Two things make this production stand out. First, the script is beautifully written, and it resonates with the sounds of actual conversations between real people. Williams has directed it tightly, allowing natural overlap in the dialogue, to the point that I completely believed in what was happening. The second thing is the level of the performances.
Sometimes, fringe festivals showcase big ideas or quirky, unusual material, but without particularly memorable acting. Not so in Musical Chairs, which features three beautiful and fully-developed characters, as good as any that you’re likely to see in a play. Each is well drawn and distinct from the others: Mac Rogers (the playwright) as the sole man in the drama, Rebecca Comtois as his first lover and Kristen Vaughan as the wild card whose sensual presence and personality drive the decisions that have to be made among them. Each actor is specific; there is no confusion about who they are; and their clear differences give texture to the story.
So what does this production say to us? Perhaps that people in a relationship only ask those questions to which they want to know the answers. Or that they never ask the questions that they should, particularly when they’re afraid of what the answers might be. This particular situation is outside most of our experiences, but its trick is in using an extreme scenario to illustrate the truth in common ones. The play also offers an interesting and somewhat ambiguous conclusion, reminding us of how the unexpected is often a key part of any relationship. Again, there’s an air of reality in the writing.
If in reading this you’re still puzzled as to what makes Musical Chairs worth seeing, it’s this simple: an excellent script, speaking to universal truths about relationships, is performed by three superior actors for an engaging 60 minutes. I’m not sure I can offer higher praise for a production than that.
The Cincinnati Fringe Festival runs through June 10. Find showtimes, tickets and more info here.
