CAPE MAY — Playwright Donald Margulies has a habit of exploring the intricacies of human relationships, and East Lynne Theater Company’s production of “Lunar Eclipse” is no exception.
What sets this latest offering apart are two compelling lead performances and the impressive directorial debut of East Lynne Executive Director Mark-David Boberick.
“Lunar Eclipse” tells the story of George and Em, an aging married couple looking back on a life ultimately enriched by the enduring love and friendship they have found in one another. It is hardly a perfect union — it wouldn’t be a Margulies play if it were. They bicker. George has been worn down by life’s unfairness, while Em wrestles with self-doubt born of loss and a lifetime of “what-ifs.”
Andy Prosky commands the stage as George, finding the character’s complexity in both subtle nuances and larger, more forceful gestures. His George is a man carrying the cumulative weight of loss: the loss of his adopted son, the death of a beloved dog and the growing awareness of his own mortality.
Prosky allows those burdens to emerge gradually, creating a man who can appear sturdy and assured one moment and painfully vulnerable the next. It is a performance that makes George’s grief, fear and uncertainty feel deeply lived-in rather than merely expressed.
Rita Rehn could have easily portrayed Em as the long-suffering, subservient farmer’s wife. Instead, she creates a far more nuanced character, a woman wrestling with her own losses and self-doubt while remaining the loving and moral center of the marriage.
Rehn’s Em is secure in her place as an equal partner in a complicated-but-functioning marriage. She is willing to challenge George when necessary while still providing the emotional support he needs. That balance gives the relationship authenticity and prevents Em from becoming merely a supporting figure in her husband’s story.
Rehn seamlessly infuses Em with strength and fortitude, revealing a woman whose devotion to her husband does not come at the expense of her own identity. She loves and supports George while remaining distinctly her own person, carrying private hopes, disappointments and dreams that suggest a life extending well beyond her role as a wife.
At one point, Em laments that she is “just” a lowly housewife, and the flash of panic that crosses George’s face is almost palpable throughout the audience. George may have missed more than a few cues during their long marriage, as husbands sometimes do, but there is one thing he will not allow to pass without challenge: the suggestion that his wife, his partner and his best friend is somehow less than.
His response to Em’s moment of self-doubt may not possess the polished romantic eloquence of a Nicholas Sparks novel, but that is precisely why it works. It is awkward, sincere and unmistakably from the heart.
This is where Prosky and Rehn truly shine. As George and Em, they share an easy, convincing chemistry, but beneath it is the discipline of two seasoned stage performers. Nothing between them feels forced. Their exchanges are seamless, their affection believable and their pain genuine. We believe they have spent a lifetime together. We want them to be OK.
Boberick pulls double duty for this production, serving as both director and set designer. In his directorial debut, Boberick delivers an assured first effort that reflects a lifetime spent around the theater. He demonstrates a keen eye for pacing while giving his leads the space and confidence to fearlessly inhabit their characters.
The result is a production that never feels hurried or overly staged, allowing the quiet moments between George and Em to carry as much weight as the larger emotional revelations.
Boberick’s set design is equally effective. Despite the cavernous theater surrounding them, there is rarely a moment when we don’t feel transported to a small corner of a family-owned Kentucky field, waiting alongside George and Em for the eclipse. Even a late-evening mist contributes to the illusion, enveloping the stage in an atmosphere that feels intimate, for the story unfolding before us.
The production features four artists working at the top of their game. Margulies has an extraordinary knack for making his characters achingly human and instantly relatable. Prosky and Rehn bring George and Em to life with such honesty that we don’t simply watch them — we become invested in them. We worry about them. And Boberick brings all of those elements together through thoughtful direction and evocative design.
“Lunar Eclipse” ultimately succeeds because nothing about it feels distant. This may be George and Em’s marriage, their field and their night beneath the changing moon, but the emotions belong to all of us. At the end, the audience sat in stunned silence for a moment before erupting in applause. Sometimes that brief silence says more than any standing ovation could.
“Lunar Eclipse” runs through Sept. 20 at the Clemans Theater for the Arts, 717 Franklin St. in Cape May. Performances are 7 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays.
Tickets are $40 for general admission, $35 for seniors and $25 for students and military personnel. Visit EastLynneTheater.org for tickets and additional information.
By MICHAEL KIDD/For the Star and Wave
