WEDLOCKED; Little London Theatre, Pleasant Grove; written by Marvin and Laurie Payne; music by Steven Kapp Perry; directed by Marvin Payne; continues through May 6, Thursdays-Saturdays at 6:45 p.m.; tickets and dinner combined, $25 per person; for tickets, call 785-0827; running time: two hours.
PLEASANT GROVE -- Describing "Wedlocked" to one who hasn't yet seen it is a little like describing marriage to the uninitiated.It has its highs and lows, but for the most part it's a fairly decent experience. And even if there are a few bumpy places, that doesn't mean it should be shelved.
So it is with this original play, written and performed by a real-life married couple, Marvin and Laurie Payne. There are some good sections and definite pluses. The acting is good.
The dialogue is mostly snappy, and there are some marital issues brought up that every couple ought to discuss and try to resolve. Some of the one-liners are outright can't-help-but-laugh-at-that statements.
"What is wrong with you?" asks the wife indignantly.
"You're not going to tell me?" responds the baffled husband.
Essentially, the story goes like this: The missus is running ragged with the four kids and the household while her clueless husband walks around wondering what happened to the girl who used to love to play. He doesn't catch on for a really long time, even though she's cleaning, cooking and changing sheets right beneath his nose during the whole first act. He's mostly focused on sports when he's at home, and on watching a video during a romantic getaway.
After she writes her story for a magazine contest and wins a prize, she has to tell him how she's really feeling before he reads about it.
Interestingly enough, that provides the catalyst for serious discussion, and some movement is made toward one another. That's good. It's even enjoyable, largely because so many of the moments are classic. But the wife's problems are deep-seated and will still be there when the play is over.
The set is clever with a sort of reversible theme. It's a little odd to place "The Tiki Room" motel in Salina, but it's OK and speaks somewhat to the local audience.
The singing is nice and the music is pleasant.
However, there is also work to be done here. There are some pretty big holes in the plot. It's hard to believe any wife in any mood could deal calmly with a husband who tells her he fantasizes about her death so he can have the more fun-loving version back. And this wife is already plenty unhappy.
It's somewhat unrealistic to believe the friend who's watching the couple's four kids can watch them another night without any advance notice -- especially when there's a big social planned that was to have featured the couple involved in saving their marriage, who, by the way, bail out on the event.
But if one doesn't get too hung up on those "little" things, it's a fun evening. (That includes the second batch of bagels burning for a really long time in the toaster.)
It's pretty hard to believe the troubles brought to this juncture could so easily be remedied or so glossed over without a sequel coming soon, perhaps something called "Deadlocked?" It would be easier to accept the ending as a starting place as opposed to a solution.
This show ultimately is a mixed bag. Not bad. Not great but OK. And the food is good.