Theatre Review: "Completeness" by Hole in the Wall Theater

New Britain - Hole in the Wall Theater is presenting the play “Completeness” by Itamar Moses at the theatre on Main Street in New Britain through Oct. 2. The production is directed by Terrance J. Peters in his Connecticut live directing debut with John Garvey.

“Completeness'' was originally commissioned by the Manhattan Theatre Club and was first presented Off Broadway by Playwrights Horizons in New York City in 2011 directed by Pam MacKinnon. The playwright also wrote the book for the Broadway musical “The Band’s Visit” with music and lyrics by David Yazbek.

In the play, computer scientist Elliot and molecular biologist Molly are two intellectuals who struggle with the realities of romance while their scientific pursuits lead to the entanglement of their research and their lives. When Elliot builds a computer program to help Molly with her research project on yeast, the variables in their evolving relationship shift as rapidly as the terms of their experiment.

Set in the frantic, chaotic and passionate world of collegiate academia, Moses’ play explores the complex synergy of biology, mathematics and romance while revealing the impossibility of certainty.

This description of the script had me paying too much attention to the scientific language of the two brilliant graduate students, somehow expecting a more cerebral tone to the action. In fact, at its heart, this is an intelligent romantic comedy, albeit a romance with plenty of bumps.

The couple at the center of the story is played by Katie Kirtland as the graduate student Molly (in her Hole in the Wall debut) and Stephen Koehler as Elliot. Kirtland captures the ambitious Molly perfectly, while her real-life boyfriend Koehler has an incredible amount of lines to deliver at warp speed (often in his boxer shorts) in his debut with the company, all of which the actor does with admirable efficiency and charm.

The other young cast members do well with the material under the direction of Peters and Garvey. Emma Holden plays Nell, Paris Sideris portrays Franklin and Luis Marrero, the producer of the play, appears onstage as Don and Clark. Natalia Lopez covers the roles of both Lauren and Kaylee in only the third production on her theatrical resume.

The very moveable set designed by the director, Hilary Lang and Bill Arnold features rolling sections of wall that move easily when needed and two tables on wheels. Only the double bed stays in place for all of the scenes. The director, who is actually a computer science graduate student, calls this set “a silly stage (filled with very silly lights,)” but I found the lighting design by Hilary Lang a strong element in the look of the performance. I was fascinated by the two backlighted whiteboards that were crammed with mathematical formulas, until Elliot clears a section to enthusiastically explain the mathematical “traveling salesman problem” to Molly.

The script calls for a significant breaking of the “fourth wall” late in the play that was executed most effectively by both the cast and technical crew, but it made no sense at the time and I still haven’t been able to figure out its significance. There is some strong language as well as some intimacy scenes.

“Completeness” runs Friday and Saturday nights through October 2 at 8 p.m (and not 7 p.m. as advertised in some places) with a Sunday matinee on Sept. 26 at 2 p.m. Pay What You Can Night is Sept. 24. Tickets are available at hitw.org/tickets or by calling the box office at 860-229-3049.

The view from the booth by Hilary Lang

Nancy Sasso Janis has been writing theatre reviews since 2012 as a way to support local theatre venues. She posts reviews of well over 100 productions each year. In 2016, she became a member of the Connecticut Critics Circle. She continues to contribute theatre news, previews, and audition notices to local Patch sites. Reviews of all levels of theatrical productions are posted on Naugatuck Patch and the Patch sites closest to the venue. She recently became a contributor to the Waterbury Republican-American newspaper. Her weekly column and theatre reviews appear in the Thursday Weekend section of the paper.

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