Review: FLATLANDERS at Players Circle Theater

Ever looked around a restaurant at the folks at nearby tables and marveled at how they spend their time together scrolling on their phones? Have they been together so long that they’re bored with each other? Do they even like each other anymore?

These are some of the questions faced by a longtime couple in Flatlanders now on stage at Players Circle Theater. This is the Southeastern U.S. premiere of the work.

Real life husband and wife Ted Wioncek III and Kimberly Suskind play the couple who slide off the road in a blizzard on the eve of their wedding and break into an unoccupied home for shelter. Playwright Bruce Graham based the plot on an incident that actually happened to some friends who found a trailer to wait out a storm. Steve McLean’s set is far nicer than what those friends found.

Sound design by Bill Taylor, who is also the offstage voice of a radio DJ, adds some nice irony through the 1970s song choices.

It’s no surprise that Wioncek and Suskind have great chemistry. Their declarations of love ring sweetly true, but they are also completely believable as they squabble over their behavior quirks and air their doubts about their upcoming marriage. No electricity or cell service means no distractions. They are forced to talk to each other and find out things they never knew even though they’ve been together for eight years.

They also find out some highly entertaining things about the absent homeowners.

The dialogue is full of laugh lines at which both actors excel. With the small size of the theater, being able to see every facial expression is such a treat. There is also a lot of physical comedy at which Wioncek is particularly adept.

If you’ve been married or in a relationship for any length of time, you will recognize yourself in this play. And if you don’t, your significant other, as director Robert Cacioppo says, will elbow you.

Flatlanders runs through April 6. For tickets, call 239.800.3292.