Berkshire Theatre Group to Present Staged Reading of Michael Weller's THE FULL CATASTROPHE, 8/31-9/1

Berkshire Theatre Group presents a staged reading of The Full Catastrophe by Michael Weller at the Unicorn Theatre on August 31 at 8pm and September 1 at 2pm. Invited Audience. Visit www.berkshiretheatregroup.org for more information.

In The Full Catastrophe, Michael Weller has deftly captured the daily cut and thrust of married life that can raise anger to a fever pitch in seconds and bring people closer in equally sudden and mysterious ways. His play is rich in comedy, intimacy, and truth adapted from the novel of the same title by David Carkeet.

"Weller's quirky new comedy will strike a chord with anyone who has ever been in a relationship-and leave them laughing in the aisles," said producer Merle Kailas.

The comedy tells the story of The Pillow Agency's approach to saving troubled marriages is unorthodox: it sends linguists to live with feuding married couples and help them make sense of their miscommunication.

Jeremy Cook, a nervous new Pillow Agent, finds himself on suddenly intimate terms with Dan and Beth Wilson, an appealing suburban St. Louis couple, at least when they're not snarling at each other. Cook isn't exactly the right man for the job--his romantic history is inglorious--and he has a bad habit of falling for unavailable women...like Beth. Husband Dan seems willing go along with the unusual therapy, but Cook's increasingly ineffective and puzzling attempt to mediate the Wilsons' marital battlefield creates more problems than it solves.

Finally, Cook the scientist must turn a hard, cold eye not just on the Wilson marriage but on himself, his past loves, and his chances of ever living happily under one roof with another human being.

"I'm convinced that author, Carkeet has hit on the magic formula of great comedy," said playwright Michael Weller. "It's a situation that in itself is so deliciously preposterous that each time you hold it up and turn it slightly, it yields another moment that's true, recognizable, hilarious and touching all at once. For the chance to put his superb invention on the stage, I will always be grateful."

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