Photo Credit: Troy Freund
Boulevard Theatre’s Rx, staged in the beautifully converted basement of Plymouth Church, is an appealing love story and satire of America’s over-dependence on pharmaceuticals. Mark Bucher’s direction; Kate Fodor’s witty, fast-paced script; delightful music from the Milwaukee Mandolin Orchestra; and stellar performances by veteran actors make this a memorable production.
The show opens with Dr. Phil Gray (Jason Will) administering a job-happiness evaluation to Meena (Ericka Wade), the managing editor for PIGGERIES: American Cattle & Swine Magazine. It’s soon revealed that both are frustrated artists miserable in the corporate world, and the attraction grows from there. Meena desperately wants to try Phil’s company’s new happiness-increasing drug and Phil is determined to make her happy himself.
Will is excellent in his performance as a starched-shirt professional overwhelmed by his first experience of falling head over heels. His comedic turn during a drug-induced haze is hilariously well realized. Wade is dynamic in the role of a woman who goes from downtrodden former prose poet to go-getter employee and confident personal decision maker. The two have a charming chemistry as they traverse the embarrassments, excitements and reconciliations of new love.
Marilyn White delivers a solid performance as Phil’s overzealous boss at the pharmaceutical company, a woman who candidly admits, “Marketing meetings turn me on like almost nothing else.” Stealing the show, however, is Joan End as Frances, an elderly woman who meets Meena in the “old women’s underwear” section of the department store where the latter goes to cry during her workdays. Frances has known great heartbreak and cloistered herself in her apartment for decades, until the simple act of buying herself new underwear turns her life around and she realizes it’s never too late to pursue her dreams. Poignant, humorous and utterly believable, End’s contribution is the heart of this funny, well-proportioned show.
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Through May 3 at Plymouth Church, 2717 E. Hampshire St. For tickets call 414-744-5757 or visit boulevardtheatre.com.
