A MANNY FOR US – Written by James P. Hayes; Directed by Maru Garcia. Produced by Wheat Ridge Theatre Company (5455 West 38th Avenue, Unit J, Wheat Ridge) through August 11. Tickets available at 720-244-5204 or Wheatridgetheatre.com.
How happy I am to report that this lovely little storefront theatre has a hit on their hands with their current show. Jim Hayes, the playwright, is a board member and occasional actor in Wheat Ridge theatre productions and now shows a proclivity for writing funny, thoughtful, and illustrative scripts. This is the first one to make it to performance and here’s hoping there are more stacked up on his desk at home that will soon find a voice.
A MANNY FOR US is both a raunchy and sweetly romantic story of two men who are loving and content in their lives but are beginning to feel the pressures of age. Peter and David have been together for a long time; their easy familiarity with each other physically and in conversation illustrates this. They decide to hire a male assistant to help around the house and run errands. After completing a comic round of interviews, they connect with Travis, a youngish student who has come back home to Denver after a broken romance. A sort-of grand-parental relationship develops between the men and their manny with humor and understanding being the primary ingredients. But, of course, this idyllic arrangement is bound to change.
Hayes’ script holds nothing back to create both the humor and the pathos of these characters and this situation. The interviews with the rejected applicants (Braden Nash and Elliotte Enoch) are indicative of societal biases but in a very funny way. The connection with Travis (delightfully played by Nick Galvez) is immediate and sincere because that’s the way he approached the interview. Peter had been previously married and has a grown caring daughter who shows up to give advice and solace, played by Sina Hirsch.
While ably supported by these players, this show belongs to Dan Connell as Peter and Clint Heyn as David. Dan is the methodical, quiet one whose zingers come unexpectedly out of left field. He has a realistic and loving opinion of his partner that sees through his flamboyance and into his heart. David is the “queen” of the duo with over-the-top clothing, attitude, and behavior. For instance, he likes to do yoga on their terrace – in full view of other tenants – in a thong. With a twist. He too is robustly loving and comically gifted. Together they (based on my personal experience) illustrate a loving gay couple’s heart and humor.
Wheat Ridge’s physical accommodations for both actors and audience leave something to be desired. They have to work around weight-bearing poles in the middle of their playing space. For some performances, it’s a real hindrance, but director Maru Garcia chose (for the most part) to ignore them in this production and – voila! – they disappeared in the eyes of the audience. WRTC is young enough that it is not yet eligible for the saving grace of the SCFD funds that assist so many arts organizations in the district. So, they are limited financially when it comes to the physical accouterments – set and costumes – of a production. But they always come up with clever ways to overcome those problems as well. Their simple but complete living room set for this show was more than adequate to the requirements of the script. Even though the apartment was described as being worth $4 million, you could believe that these guys preferred their rather well-worn and comfortable (if somewhat unstable) furniture. And there’s nearly nothing they can do about the lights that – no matter where you sit – are going to shine in your eyes once and awhile. But when the play and the players are this good, you ignore all those piddly little things.
Hurrah for Wheat Ridge! The team for this show has worked hard and done well. I sincerely hope the buzz about the show reaches the four corners of Denver and results in full houses for each performance. They deserve that kind of audience.
A WOW factor of 8.75!!