Review: MAYTAG VIRGIN at Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati

A meet cute over pie and Diet Coke. A Catholic Church birdhouse gifted by a Baptist. Two methods of drying laundry. These are some of the elements that make up playwright Audrey Cefaly’s Maytag Virgin, a dramedy play making its regional premiere at Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati. This minimalist story is anything but dull, with countless moments of laughter and seriousness. A love story at its core, director Bridget Leak uses a great deal of nuance to form the connection of its two characters as they navigate the slow burn of attraction, grief, and life itself.

Maggie Lou Rader and Ryan Wesley Gilreath make up the two-person cast, and they handle the work with a great sense of verisimilitude, creating natural characters with strong chemistry. When Lizzie Nash (Rader) first meets her new neighbor Jack Key (Gilreath), sparks fly over their differences, yet over time they grow close to each other and solidify respect for one another. The show itself feels like a classic romantic comedy with many tropes, such as crushing on the girl next door, an almost kiss, forced proximity, and drunken confessions. These all create a lightheartedness, making its audience want to laugh and smile as they bear witness to newfound love. However, their dramatic moments nicely balance out to resemble what life is truly like, ultimately creating tension and depth and even slight discomfort as one becomes invested and falls into the story.

Jack, or as Lizzie tends to call him, Mr. Key, takes a quiet approach to his neighbor, almost appearing stoic and enigmatic at first. But he is an observer, always taking note and listening to Lizzie in his own way. A widower of two years, he seems more adjusted to his new life in the fictional Alabama town where they reside, but deep down the emotions are bottled up. Meanwhile, Lizzie babbles and rambles in her sweet but seemingly nervous way. A recent widow, she’s still adjusting to life without her husband. She has a way of keeping secrets, which she carefully guards until a fateful night when truth comes loose. When these two grow closer over the seasons, something special develops, and the audience is rewarded with a satisfying ending. 

A fascinating theme in Maytag Virgin involves parallel lives. While Jack and Lizzie form their own relationship, they find letters from the previous deceased owner of Jack’s house made out to his wife. As they delve into the history behind them, they begin to recognize their own parallel hearts learning through lost love, both from their own and from those from the past. The dichotomy of character within this show is also heavily present. This refers to the literal cast as well as in metaphorical ways through other factors, including the set and the well placed technical details. From the differences in their backgrounds to mismatching backyards, they really prove that opposites attract.

Maytag Virgin runs through June 18th, 2023. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit ensemblecincinnati.org.

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