Review: FORTUNE at Geva Theatre

Returning to Geva Theatre where her play Informed Consent premiered in 2014, Deborah Zoe Laufer brings us Fortune, a quirky love story that teaches us to leave our comfort zone and open ourselves up to others.

Maude (Lena Kaminsky) is a third-generation fortune teller living a sad and bitter existence under the burden of knowing exactly how many days she has until her death, causing her to generally avoid partaking in life and staying holed-up in her house/parlor behind the safety of her veil. Jeremy (Ian Lowe) is a giddy, neurotic CPA who comes to Maude desperately seeking information about his future; specifically, whether or not he'll ever find love. When Jeremy learns that his future holds no love and subsequently threatens to kill himself, Maude stages a series of rouses in which she disguises herself as a different "soulmate" each week, hoping that one will give Jeremy the love connection he's seeking.

Fortune is full of snappy, Woody Allen-esque dialogue but also feels like the late-90's romcoms that everyone loved to watch while curled up under a blanket. The laughs are plentiful, but you also can't help feeling great sadness for Jeremy, the sweet affable guy who desperately wants to feel a little less lonely, and Maude, who's so cynical about life that she's stopped participating in it. The effectiveness of this emotional tug-and-pull is due to the wonderful onstage chemistry between Lena Kaminsky and Ian Lowe. They're both equally funny, Maude full of wry sarcasm and Jeremy of sweaty, anxious energy.

Both actors are great fun to watch, but a special tip-of-the-hat must be given to Kaminsky, who spends much of the play fluctuating between different disguises, trying to find the one that makes Jeremy go head-over-heels. She goes from biker, to circus performer, to secretary with ease and impeccable comedic timing.

Kent Goetz designed a beautiful set, bringing the inside of Maude's shabby apartment/parlor to life. It's colorful and vivid, but also a little dank and crusty around the edges. It perfectly encapsulates its inhabitant; how we find her at the beginning of the play, at least.

Fortune probably won't make you ponder the meaning of the universe, and that's OK. Not every piece of theatre has to have the weightiness of King Lear or traverse the emotional terrain of Death of a Salesman. We call them plays because they're quite literally supposed to be fun. Fortune is heartwarming and, truly, a ton of fun.

Fortune is playing at Geva Theatre's Fielding Stage until October 21st. For tickets and more information, click here.

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