The Castle Summer Theatre is a hidden gem on the side of the hill near the state mental hospital in Provo.
It is on Utah's Register of Historic Places, it is far enough away from the sounds of traffic and the lights of the city, and the stone stage and seats create the perfect atmosphere for theatrical performances.The Actors Repertory Theatre Ensemble has done wonders there.
Its most recent production "Bedroom Farce," though not for every taste, is superbly acted and contains a most appropriate message for today's world of now-you-see-them-now-you-don't relationships.
"Bedroom Farce," a British comedy by Alan Ayckbourn, looks into the lives, bedrooms and relationships of four couples. Three couples have fairly stable - though not always happy - marriages. The fourth couple's relationship is on the rocks.
The fourth couple Trevor (Jim Fife) and Susannah (Kiva Jump) just aren't getting along and both of them have reasons to blame themselves and each other.
Ernest (Corey A. Ewan) and Delia (Diana Comstock) are Trevor's parents in bedroom No. 1. Malcolm (Peter Brown) and Kate (Cari L. Bertelson), a young married couple who are celebrating the purchase of their new apartment, are in bedroom No. 2.
And Nick (Jason K. Tatom) and Jan (Evelyn M. Jensen), Trevor's old girlfriend, are in bedroom No. 3.
Either Trevor or Susannah shows up in all three bedrooms at one time or another during the play - sometimes for advice, sometimes to use the phone, or other times to apologize.
People should not be turned off by the name of the play. The characters do not try to break up any of the relationships and when, at the end of the play, Susannah tells Trevor that she just wants to try again - and he agrees to - you get the gist of what Ayckbourn is trying to say.
In fact, the problems in Trevor and Susannah's relationship kind of help the others to reevaluate their own.
The performances are all wonderful with believable British accents and mannerisms, and everyone seems very comfortable on stage.
Comstock and Ewan as the older couple are standouts.
On stage, they portray a marriage that is seasoned just right, sour in some places that they have both learned to live with and sweet to the point that they would never want to be married to anyone else.
Tatom plays his part as an invalid with all the fervor of a jealous husband who knows deep down inside that his wife really loves him. Jensen complements his actions well.
If she didn't love him, would she twice go to the trouble of bringing in a glass of water and some pills that are supposed to help him feel better? Brown and Bertelson also work well together and somehow you believe that any bad feelings they ever have for each other wouldn't last an hour.
Younger and unmarried people may not catch all the subtleties of Ayckbourn's writing, but married couples will appreciate the insights and maybe see some of themselves in the characters.
The play is not a laugh-a-minute production and the humor can be dry and "British," but it is fun, extremely well-acted and worth seeing.