Bed - Theatre Review

TW Leshner and Kate Morgan Chadwick. Photos by Darrett Sanders 

Sheila Callaghan's one room play "Bed" displays the seductively toxic dilemmas in relationships. It shows that what initially attracts us to our significant other can be the piece that repels us in the end.

The relationship in question begins with Holly (Kate Morgan Chadwick), the alluring, musical, femme fatale who has the mundane Cliff (TW Leshner) in her cross hairs. She is snappy, funny, and tormented by her inner demons from childhood. We do not know the extent of her demons, only that she has "daddy issues". We also do not learn much about Cliff except that he is a very patient fool who ignores the blaring red flags that have been waving in front of his face for the past 10 years. This play is racy, raw, and revels in its own nastiness.

Even though the plot takes place over the course of ten years it feels as it is showing us a day in the life. The plot never really gelled and it seemed to be the theatrical version of flipping through a scrapbook. These two were mismatched, toxic, and mentally troglodytic people.  They would argue, make up, and have make up sex and then one of them would slip through a cleverly crafted hole in the bed. In a very Seinfield-esque way characters would come in, say their lines and disappear; and when one of them disappeared, so did the plot point.

The performances were amazing and the set was very clever, I just wished the storyline matched their artistry. This play wants to tell us that it is the little things in a relationship that break it down slowly, not just problems of copious amounts, but that didn't happen. When I left the theater, I felt as if I had just watched a triple feature of Love and Other Drugs, Blue Valentine, and Black Snake Moan.  Unfortunately, "Bed" does not have anything new to say on the damaged women and the men who love them genre. It tried to convey a messy life when it really showcased a confused narrative.