Out Of The City A Funny Romp In The Woods

Playwright Leslie Ayvasian is said to have very loosely used William Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” as inspiration for her hit play “Out of the City”, though it would be hard for even a Bard scholar to find any direct parallels. It’s more the feel – and the subtle use of humor to deliver some provocative ideas – that draw the comparisons.

Oh….and both plays take place in the woods.

You’ll be able to draw your own conclusions – and laugh while you’re doing it – when Ayvasian’s play makes its Key West premiere at the Red Barn Theatre March 22nd for a four week run. Directed by Murphy Davis (fresh off stellar outings with “Casa Valentina” and Terrance McNally’s “Mothers and Sons”), “Out of the City” stars Maribeth Graham, Mimi McDonald, Michael McCabe, and Laurie Seth Yates.

The play centers on two middle-aged couples who take a weekend trip to the Pocono Mountains to celebrate a milestone birthday of one of them. But something completely unexpected happens that changes everything (can’t tell you – it’s a big spoiler if you know). It affects both couples, each individual, and challenges everyone’s (including the audience members’) perspective on gender roles, bonds, even mortality, all while keeping us buoyed by clever repartee and funny zingers.

The show is a fun and provocative comedy…not a farce, certainly, but an exploration of serious themes cloaked in giggles, chuckles, and outright belly laughs. While it focuses on the relationships and how they are perceived differently by each of the pairs, within the marriages it becomes apparent the women are more attuned than the men. Seemingly innocent disclosures and little discoveries that are not very important when taken individually, begin to cause incremental shifts in behaviors and attitudes when they are added up. Old assumptions are shattered and their world tilts on its axis.

As Ayvasian herself says, “There may be sex in the city, but stranger things happen in the forest primeval.” Expect to laugh though this very adult comedy, but you will also be given some thought-provoking ideas to chew on over cocktails after the show.

Playwright Ayvasian is an Adjunct Professor of Dramaturgy at the Columbia University Graduate School of the Arts and an accomplished actress, with a recurring role on Law & Order – SVU and roles on Broadway in Lost in Yonkers and Naked Girl on the Apian Way. She will be attending the March 26th performance at the Red Barn, staying afterward for an interactive talk-back with director Davis and the audience. Ticket holders for that evening are encouraged to remain and participate in the conversation.

There will be an Opening Night party after the March 22nd performance, and the night’s audience members are welcome to stay to enjoy a catered repast and talk with the cast and crew. Tickets for all shows are available at redbarntheatre.com or by calling the box office at 305-296-9911.

“Out of the City” is sponsored by WLRN, Design Group Key West, and the Monroe County Tourist Development Council.

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