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• A review: Station Theatre's "Absurd Person Singular"

Last week the Celebration Company presented British playwright Alan Ayckbourn’s comedy, "Absurd Person Singular" at Urbana's Station Theatre. Although written in the ‘70s, the play does not feel particularly dated, dealing with general issues such as relationships, entertaining, alcoholism and suicide. It has three acts, each of which take place in the kitchen of a different couple over three consecutive Christmas Eve’s.

This play has little to do with Christmas, however, and more to do with awkward social experiences. From mundane musings about cabinetry to unexpected conversations about sanity and medication, Ayckbourn explores the bizarre chatter people find themselves having with those they do not know very well.

The set was surprisingly authentic, containing real appliances such as a fridge, washing machine, oven in true 1950s style and a fully functional kitchen sink. With each act, the kitchen transforms to suit the personalities of the couple it belongs to. Many details change, down to the curtains and the magnets on the refrigerator.

Situated in an old train station in Urbana, the Station Theatre is an intimate venue. With the front row of seating on the same level as the stage and merely feet away, the audience experiences every nuance. This is welcome, as each of the actors in the production is highly experienced, playing their role with the appropriate mix of understated and furious passion.

Katie Baldwin plays Jane, the meticulous wife of geeky contractor Sidney. Baldwin’s nervous breathing captured her character’s obsessive need for order and control. In a funny moment of desperation, Baldwin plasters her face against a glass door, wild-eyed after locking herself out in the rain.

Cara Maurizi plays Eva, an architect’s suicidal wife. Maurizi spends the entire second act without speaking, conveying her angst by way of subtle and erratic facial expressions. In one scene, Jane discovers Eva with her head in the oven and insists on helping her clean it. Hilarity ensues as guests continually mistake Eva’s attempts at suicide for her desire to complete household tasks.

In the last act Sidney and Jane break into the kitchen of banker Ronald and his alcoholic wife Marion, oblivious that everyone has been hiding in the dark so as to avoid their presence. The intruders force everyone to play a freeze dancing game, which eventually has Ronald balance fruit on his body and Marion take shots of gin. The scene concludes with each of the actors coming together in their own quirky jig.

Every eye-roll, every smirk and every water drop on the linoleum floor adds to this meticulously executed production. And beneath all the crazy situational comedy lies a darker glimpse into the absurdity that lies within all.