Side-splitting Scenes From a Marriage

Gus and Alice

“Love is our true destiny,” wrote theologian Thomas Merton. “We do not find the meaning in life by ourselves alone—we find it with another.” And marriage is typically the culmination of sharing our lives with that special other. Joining another person in marriage becomes a mosaic of small and meaningful moments, a lifelong friendship with all its highs and lows, and our daily choice to love the same person over and over again. In Mike Rago’s GUS AND ALICE, a 65-minute one-act play that offers a slew of side-splitting scenes from a marriage, theatergoers will thoroughly enjoy both the comic and consequential moments in the lives of a well-matched couple in their golden years.

Fresh from Off-Broadway, the first place winner for the Best Production at New York’s recent “Back Door to Broadway Theater Festival,” playwright and director Mike Rago’s heartfelt comedy has come home. A local playwright, Mr. Rago brought his talented Chicago cast and crew back to the Windy City for its Chicago Premiere at the Greenhouse Theater. This little jewel of a show opened in May, closed for a couple months, but reopened this month with a limited four more performances. If at all possible, try not to miss this little gem of a show!

Alice and Gus have been married for over fifty years. Throughout the play, which is uniquely constructed as a series of sketch comedy scenes, we enjoy all the humor that often erupts from everyday life. This elderly couple banters about everything. Gus is a lovable curmudgeon showing early signs of dementia. With an inclination to forget things, Gus has difficulty finding his glasses, recalling they own a pet cat, remembering the names of other people (including his own adult son), conjuring up the directions to a familiar location and simply knowing what day it is. But the one constant in his life is Alice. His sweet, loving and very patient baby boomer bride understands her husband well and knows just what to say and how to push his buttons to get Gus’ goat. In other words, goodnatured bickering has become an Olympic sport for this pair of longtime companions. Gus and Alice’s daily routine, which is presented with funny, fast-paced precision, is a parade of squabbles, spats and well-timed zingers laced with affection.

The production stars talented actors Michelle McKenzie-Voigt (A NEW BRAIN, Pride Arts; BILLY ELLIOT, Porchlight; MAME, Music Theater Works), as Alice. And popular television sports reporter and radio talk show host, Al Lerner, as Gus. Each fast-paced scene, presented basically on a bare stage, with only a few pieces of furniture and hand props, is about five-to-ten minutes long. Every episode plays with breakneck speed and ultimately comes to a satisfying conclusion with a priceless punchline. A bit of  variety is achieved throughout with the introduction of other select characters from Gus and Alice’s life. 

We meet younger married couple, Jim (Peter Goldsmith) and Kim (Judilee Goshen). They’re Gus and Alice’s adult son and daughter-in-law, who happen to live nearby. The two enjoy spending afternoons and evenings with the older couple by sharing good meals, having a nice time playing board games and enjoying some unexpected karaoke fun. Gus suddenly surprises the younger couple with his mastery of a rap song that the audience will find hilarious; and the threesome end the scene with humor as they attempt to sing and perform the Macarena. 

We also meet Alice’s neighbor, peer and best friend, Betty (an excellent, realistic performance by Valerie O’Connor). The two ladies get together quite often to share “tea,” a provocative beverage that’s always heavily laced with some form of potent potable. The two besties share lots of laughs, mutual marital complaints and some pithy observations about everyday life.

One evening of the week Gus and Alice go out for dinner. At the restaurant they’ve chosen for this evening, they’re waited on by an eager-to-please young server named Kyle (a great comic portrayal by Miles Cowan). As he often does, Gus absolutely cannot remember the young man’s name and calls him every eponym under the sun. While Alice quickly selects her entree, Gus (in his typical irascible fashion) gives the waiter a very hard time about whether the broiled fish contains gluten.   

One day Alice decides that, as empty nesters, it would be much more practical for the couple to look into some of the nearby senior living facilities. At the first residence home they visit, Alice and Gus meet Tiffany, a most enthusiastic young hostess. As Gus notes, it would be wise for this young woman to lay off the caffeine! Brandi Aguilar hilariously plays the hyperactive twenty-something tour guide who really, really enjoys showing off the abode to Gus and Alice. The couple then makes an appointment to tour another retirement community, hosted by a far more low key host named Slava. Naturally, this is another name that Gus simply cannot remember, and he proceeds to slaughter it with every utterance. But who else do they find working at this lodging? None other than their favorite waiter, Kyle, who moonlights at the senior home and understandably remembers Gus with horror.

This delightful one-act is refreshing and funny. Atypically, the play focuses on our older population, humorously depicting the various problems and pleasures seniors face as they reach their sunset years. Having to deal with the challenges of a continually changing and often frustrating world is something that we all face and recognize. And Thomas Merton was absolutely correct: we human beings don’t find meaning in life all by ourselves, but with someone special by our side. 

Mike Rago’s pleasant, professional production is a perfect length, the story is incredibly entertaining and the performances and direction are very good. My only suggestion is that each scene could end with a faster blackout, rather than in a slow lighting fade. It would help punctuate the clever one-liners that conclude each episode. And perhaps add a bit of bouncy music between the scenes to mask the silence. But as a lighthearted summer entertainment, filled with honest characters, truthful humor and a heartfelt ending, GUS AND ALICE is a perfect comical collection of absolutely side-splitting scenes from a marriage.  

Highly Recommended

Reviewed by Colin Douglas

Presented August 14-23 by Theatre 31 Productions at the Greenhouse Theater, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago.

Tickets are available at the Greenhouse box office, by calling 773-404-7336 or by going to boxoffice@greenhousetheater.org 

Additional information about this and other area productions can be found by visiting www.theatreinchicago.com

Photos by Mike Rago