Orange Flower Water

Craig Wright’s wrenching 70-minute immersion in infidelity is only New Century Theatre Company’s second offering. This minimalist production makes clear the breadth of the troupe’s ambition: The set consists of four chairs and a single bed between them. At first, Cathy (Jennifer Lee Taylor) natters on about her chirpy little life of suburban bliss with three young kids and a forgetful husband, unaware that David (Hans Altwies) will soon be rummaging through the blouse of another woman (Betsy Schwartz), married to a jealous loutish husband (Ray Gonzalez). Before long the secret is out among all parties, and the effect is stunning—all of a sudden you’re ringside at a grudge match in which the losers forfeit marriage, home, children, and trust in the person they’ve been sleeping a pillow away from for more than a decade. Under the direction of Allison Narver, these characters stalk and retreat from one another in infinite combination. They’re all acting in self-interest: some to preserve the status quo, others to have exactly what they want precisely when they’d like it, regardless of who gets hurt. KEVIN PHINNEY
Wednesdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 7 p.m.; Mon., July 20, 7 p.m. Starts: June 24. Continues through July 20, 2009