Two characters meet in a messy bedroom as Next Act Theatre stages a production of the touching dramatic comedy I and You. Playwright Lauren Gunderson weaves a brilliantly tight little connection between two strangers who get to know and care for each other over the course of one long, extended conversation. Gunderson’s dialogue is sparklingly quirky. Everything spoken seems to have a few layers of deep symbolism. It’s just a simple exchange between two people, but even the most casual connection could be a matter of life and death in a script that works on many levels at once.
Cristina Panfilio is irresistible as Caroline. She’s bouncing around on her bed as the play opens, but we soon find out that she’s sick. She hasn’t left her home in a long time. She’s right in the middle of rocking out alone in her bedroom when Ibraheem Farmer shows up playing a classmate named Anthony. Anthony and Caroline are high school students who are forced to work on a project together. She’s reluctant to work with him, but gradually they coalesce and manage to place a great deal of insight into the assignment, which involves pronouns and a certain classic poem by Walt Whitman. Farmer’s steady, gentle compassion serves as elegant contrast to Panfilio’s vibrant restlessness.
Director David Cecsarini wisely allows the two actors the space they need to develop a connection without too many ancillary elements that could otherwise bog down the truly endearing meeting between Caroline and Anthony. It can be awkward to see adults playing teenagers, but Cecsarini has fostered a dynamic that makes Panfilio and Farmer quite convincingly adolescent.
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Through April 29 at Next Act Theatre, 255 S. Water St. For tickets call call 414-278-0765 or visit nextact.org.
