Review: AND BABY MAKES COMPLICATIONS IN "A FUTURE PERFECT" AT SPEAKEASY STAGE

Written by Ken Urban; directed by M. Bevin O'Gara; scenic design, Cristina Todesco; costume design, Elisabetta Polito; lighting design, Jen Rock; sound design, Nathan Leigh; production stage manager, Adele Nadine Traub

Cast:

Claire, Marianna Bassham; Elena, Chelsea Diehl; Max, Brian Hastert; Annabelle, Uatchet Jin Juch; Alex, Nael Nacer

Performances and Tickets:

Now through February 7, SpeakEasy Stage Company, Roberts Studio Theatre, Boston Center for the Arts, 527 Tremont St., Boston, Mass.; tickets start at $25 (with special pricing at $35 for patrons aged 26-40) and are available online at www.BostonTheatreScene.com or by calling the Box Office at 617-933-8600.

For thirty-something urban professionals grappling with balancing their personal lives with upwardly mobile careers, Ken Urban's A FUTURE PERFECT may feel timely and relevant. But for Boomers and one-time yuppies who are now the sandwich generation juggling the demands of work, college-bound children and aging parents, the play's conflicts may seem a bit worn.

It is to the great credit of director M. Bevin O'Gara and her talented cast, then, that A FUTURE PERFECT, now in its world premiere at SpeakEasy Stage Company in Boston, crackles with a brittle edge and pulsing urgency. The plot may be predictable, but the performances are not.

Over dinner one night Elena (Chelsea Diehl) and Alex (Nael Nacer) announce to Claire (Marianna Bassham) and Max (Brian Hastert) that Elena is pregnant. Instead of triggering gushes of excitement and unconditional support, the news sets off a sort of existential panic among them. Claire feels betrayed and challenged. Elena is put on the defensive. Max discovers an unfulfilled longing. And Alex is terrified of the disruption to the status quo. As tensions mount and tempers flare, relationships shift and goals are re-examined. Soon they all realize that game night, and the rock music that has underscored their friendship for years, will never be the same.

Even though A FUTURE PERFECT is dotted with a fair number of contemporary clichés - the tick of the biological clock, wanting to "have it all," and the choice between following your heart and selling out - at each turn this cast manages to make each moment real. Their intensity shows that their dreams and doubts matter to them, and they fight every bit as hard as they love.

Bassham is the central dynamo as a high-powered advertising exec who brings home the bacon so that her artistic husband Max can write music when he's not working as a poorly paid puppet show writer for PBS. Her Claire can seem callous, especially when lashing out at Elena, but Bassham softens her cruelty with a hint of obliviousness. This touch of humanity suggests a bit of insecurity beneath the swagger, one that causes her to speak first and apologize later.

Diehl's Elena will have none of it, however. She could easily defer to playing the traditional "good wife" stereotype but instead she strikes back when attacked. It doesn't matter that Claire is the wife of her husband Alex's best friend. She's not about to play nice just to keep the peace.

As Alex, perhaps the most immature of the group, Nacer is a selfish bundle of nerves who confesses to Max his misgivings about having a child. Nacer seems constantly pained, his face sullen and his posture weary. His fear of responsibility is palpable, as is his self-loathing for having chosen a safe job as an insurance salesman instead of pursuing a career as a musician.

The most likable of the foursome is Max, and Hastert imbues him with an easy-going puppy-dog charm. With genuine affection, Hastert's Max softens Bassham's Claire, even managing to draw sympathy from her when he is torn by his own aspirations to do more than write benign children's scripts for PC puppets. Hastert is the idealist to Bassham's realist, and together they are the heart and soul of the play.

Cristina Todesco's unit set perfectly captures the clean lines and period detail of an old Brooklyn brownstone that has been carefully refurbished in 2011 by a contemporary couple. White brick walls and elegant crown moulding mash up with red and blue accents and wrought iron bicycle décor.

It is the mix tape of 13 songs assembled by playwright Ken Urban (himself a musician) and incorporated by sound designer Nathan Leigh, however, that gives A FUTURE PERFECT its insistent beat. Triggering fond memories, but also signaling the realization that carefree youth is now lost, the music marks the milestones of the character's lives. Ultimately, however, music also maps the road to the future - which may not be perfect, but at least it won't be traveled alone.

PHOTOS BY CRAIG BAILEY/PERSPECTIVE PHOTO: Marianna Bassham as Claire, Brian Hastert as Max, Chelsea Diehl as Elena, and Nael Nacer as Alex; Brian Hastert and Marianna Bassham; Brian Hastert and Nael Nacer

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