Boulevard Stages A Satisfying Con

­The Boulevard Theatre opens its 2009 - 2010 season with the Milwaukee premiere of the Douglas Carter Beane comedy As Bees In Honey Drown. The Boulevard's notoriously humble budget fuses into the appeal of the production. The ensemble moves around on a tiny stage with an almost nonexistent set, performing the show with minimal props. Various members of the ensemble introduce scenes with considerable charm.

Ericka Wade somewhat deliciously plays Alexa Vere de Vere-a con artist who passes herself off as a record company executive in order to leech off of rising young artists. She contacts Evan Wyler, a young New York author with interest in having him write a screenplay for a movie about her life. He's compassionately played by David Geisler. A new face in metro Milwaukee theater, Geisler shows a remarkable amount of talent here, bringing a depth and subtlety to the polite comedy of awkwardness that compliments a sophisticated modern script.

Most of Wade's dialogue as Alexa is with Geisler as she draws him into a fabulous story of her life that is far too dramatic to be true. There is no mistaking that Wade has a brilliant grasp of the attitude and comportment of the enchanting character she's playing. The problem is that Alexa is written so extremely over-the-top that Wade isn't quite reaching the epic-level of vanity that consumes the character. This isn't a huge problem, however. Wade's performance of the more human side of Alexa in the second half is that much more intense as a result of her less exaggerated performance prior to intermission. Overall, Wade's performance gracefully fuses comedy with serious emotional intensity in a very satisfying beginning to the new theater season.

Boulevard Theatre's production of As Bees In Honey Drown runs through Aug. 29.