Review: Pinter's A SLIGHT ACHE Given Outstanding Production at Group rep in NoHo

A Slight Ache/by Harold Pinter/directed by Kevin Dobson/at Upstairs at the Group rep/through October 9

There's nothing like a Pinter play for stimulation and excitement. The playwright, in fact, has his very own adjective 'pinteresque'. Stephen Sondheim has immortalized him in song in "The Ladies Who Lunch" from Company. He's the top, so why aren't his plays easier to figure out? One thing is certain, they provide an emotional workout for the actors involved. Now onstage at the Upstairs theatre at Group rep in NoHo, A Slight Ache is receiving a superb production with exemplary direction from Kevin Dobson and a fine cast of three, who really exercise/exorcise their demons within the 70-minute time.frame.

Edward (Michael Robb) and Flora (Marcia Woodridge) are a happily married - or are they? - English couple who live in the country. As the play opens, it's summer, early morning and Edward complains of a slight ache, just a slight ache. Flora is beset by a wasp flying around the breakfast table. "It will bite me" she complains. " Wasps don't bite, they sting. Kill it, trap it in the jar of marmelade" he suggests. In goes the bug and the two continue to fret. The wasp is referred to as a monster. Such is the communication between two people who have been married for many years. The conversation starts with triviality and then extends to include other more imposing threats like a Matchseller (J. Kent Inasy) who has been standing outside their window daily from dusk to dawn. There is a lane behind the garden leading to a monastery where very few people tread, so why would he be there trying to sell matches? Flora wants to invite him in, but Edward does not. Eventually he gives in and Flora goes out and encourages the man to come in. What follows are two long scenes where both Edward and Flora attempt to 'get to know' the Matchseller and to learn the meaning of his presence

The man is masked like a thief, so we cannot see his face, only his eyes, nose and mouth. He laughs from time to time, but otherwise does not utter a word. His eyes tell all, as he listens and obviously understands. He cries and moves parts of his body, like his hands, in appropriate ways when the time invites. It becomes obvious after awhile that the Matchseller is not real; he is merely a figment of Edward's and Flora's imagination. At first, I saw him as the Angel of Death looming over Edward, as in that old Twilight Zone episode. I soon changed my mind, however, when it became more clear that he meant one thing to Edward and then again something totally different to Flora. Both look to the future with fear; for one of them, it's the end and for the other, a new beginning, which has been yearned for, for quite some time. Edward has regrets about his lost youth and Flora needs desperately to be loved in the way that Edward can no longer serve her. If you cannot communicate with each other, then the imaginary third person offers a sounding board to bounce feelings off of. It is too fearful to face the other and expose the awful truth within.

You should see A Slight Ache, for its values of entertainment and enrichment. Pinter is never dull; he keeps you on The Edge of your seat questioning and wondering about what will come next. And...it is oddly humorous, in spite of its tragic consequences. Dobson has meticulously staged the piece and the two actors give astounding performances. Robb really digs deep into Edward's extreme pain. His cries are gut-wrenchinG. Woodridge gives Flora a vibrancy and vitality that are palpable. When she touches the stranger, I could feel her titillation and really had hope for her. Inasy's role of the Matchseller is not to be tossed aside. He must react, which he does exceedingly well.

Don't miss this Pinter pychological potboiler through October 9 only! Plays Saturdays at 2 pm and Sundays at 7 pm.

Call: (818) 763-5990 for reservations!

www.thegrouprep.com

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