Romantic comedy turns suspenseful, even supernatural

Posted 11/27/15

Jackie Sherman and Robert Bauer in The Drama Group's production of "Prelude to a Kiss."[/caption] by Hugh Hunter For over 30 years Robert Bauer has been directing, producing and acting in shows at …

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Romantic comedy turns suspenseful, even supernatural

Posted
Jackie Sherman and Robert Bauer in The Drama Group's production of "Prelude to a Kiss." Jackie Sherman and Robert Bauer in The Drama Group's production of "Prelude to a Kiss."[/caption]

by Hugh Hunter

For over 30 years Robert Bauer has been directing, producing and acting in shows at The Drama Group in Germantown. He first saw "Prelude to a Kiss" by Craig Lucas on Broadway 25 years ago, and he tucked it under his hat as a play he knew he wanted to stage some day.

Time flies, and Bauer is now old enough to play the mysterious "Old Man" character that captivated him so long ago. Old Man shows up late in Act One during the joyous wedding of Peter and Rita. No one knows who he is, and everything starts to change.

As director, Bauer draws strong performances from his key actors. Dustin Karrat plays Peter. As he woos Rita, we follow his amusingly awkward progress. At the end of each scene, Peter delivers a  brief soliloquy in which he excitedly sums up their changing relationship.

Jackie Sherman plays Rita perfectly. Her Rita always manages to look erotic in an understated way. She is also chock full of cute little mannerisms, but her cuteness fades during the couple’s Jamaican honeymoon, and you see a subtle hardness creep into her persona.

There is not a lot of dramatic tension at first because there are no serious obstacles to the burgeoning romance. The early going holds your attention anyway because Peter and Rita are so charmingly different; you enjoy watching the giddy way they resolve their problems.

The set is nearly bare as "Prelude" uses only a few movable props. Yet a steady stream of costume changes helps create a strong sense of place. Bauer also uses the entire ensemble to serve as a kind of prop, and on the stage periphery you often see bar patrons, wedding guests and strolling vacationers.

Rounding out a strong cast are Marc C. Johnson, who plays Peter's work friend Taylor, while Colleen Bracken and Elliott B. Rotman shine as Rita's parents. Kamili O. Feelings and Michele S. Scutti nicely perform numerous small roles.

At first you are not too surprised by the change of tone in act two because it relates to ordinary experience.  Newlyweds often think they have married one sort of person only to change their minds during the early years of marriage, not uncommonly for the worse.

"Prelude" carries this experience to fantastical extremes.  As a "romantic comedy" it does have the necessary happy ending. But along the way it also turns into a suspense story, a tale of the supernatural and in some ways even a horror story.

At the same time the play's key event causes the love of Rita and Peter to deepen and reach a new level of poignancy. I cannot say more without giving away the story, and I do not want to do that because "Prelude" is a lot of fun to watch.

The Drama Group is located in the First United Methodist Church, 6001 Germantown Ave. "Prelude to a Kiss" will run through Nov 28. Tickets are available at the door.

More information at www.thedramagroup.org.

arts