Death as a witty punch line

Rope’s End squeezes sweet juice out of life’s aging lemons

William O’Donnell, staff

The end of our earthly days may be orchestrated by one’s own hand. Such is the suggestion at the very beginning of the play, comically delivered as it may have been, and bookends the tale as a conclusion. Though, this is certainly not a sob story. The themes of life and love are expressed throughout the show and are handled in a hustled, yet coherent, manner. The characters are instantly forgiving of each other’s manner, thereby allowing the plot to propel rather fluidly towards joy — the little that can be achieved by a show where all but one of the characters faces death (in a manner of speaking).

The story follows an unemployed film critic who plans to fulfill a vow, which is not wholly his, to visit a crush 31 years after making the promise. The confusion and borderline madness of keeping such a long crush is made comical and smoothed out through the use of modern technology, namely Google.com, which reminds us that stalking just about anyone from our past is just a click away on a computer.

The play often resembles the sitcom-like atmosphere of a show like Frasier, and similarly, Rope’s End is well-versed with its references (literary and other media) and provides performances that I would sooner call larger-than-life than over-the-top. Also like a sitcom, the references made by the characters are quite accessible ones. Citizen Kane instantly suggests film snobbery, “That’s Amore” (the song) suggests romance, and the film Sideways suggests that we are dealing with hip-enough contemporaries.

Robb Paterson, the play’s director, is a staple in our local theatre community, and his talents are showcased well enough here. The text seems to make sure the audience knows this is (to repeat a phrase) larger-than-life fiction, what with its heavy use of meta-theatrics and the breaking of the fourth wall. Patterson clearly understands this, and therefore, the action maintains this sensibility, which makes the more uncomfortable and ever-grimmer subject matter easier to take and often very funny.

My only personal nitpicky criticism might be that the actors seemed to lose themselves in the general “bigness” of the action and became less aware of the space around them. Breaking the fourth wall is one thing, but the set clearly outlined the borders of the house (where the play is set) and the physical comedy bits often juggernauted the actors right through it and almost into the crowd; yet, it was often so darn entertaining that perhaps I was the lone person to notice this.

There is a lesson in this show about taking life in stride, whether you face follies of your own creation or something completely out of your control. The proverbial rope’s end can be that of a noose or a playful swing, it is just a matter of how you choose to see it.

The choices made by these characters are entertaining ones. The actors give charismatic performances and the overall show has great appeal. Be sure to catch it at the Warehouse Theatre until March 8.