Three couples, coitus interruptus, after midnight

Planning on getting a little action this weekend to celebrate the end of classes? Looking for a little pre-coital inspiration? Then head on over to Nick Chapel. No, "Santa's Red Hot Elf Revue" will not be the theme of the Trumbull Holiday Ball. But Things You Shouldn't Say Past Midnight, a staged reading playing in Nick Chapel all this weekend, will make you laugh just as hard.

Things You Shouldn't Say Past Midnight is a comedy written by Yale alum Peter Ackerman, TC '92. It is the story of three couples (two straight, one gay) whose late-night intimacies are interrupted by ethnic slurs, impromptu group therapy sessions, and an ill-timed knock at the door. Ackerman's great comedic gift is unmistakable as he weaves his six characters together with flawless wit. By choosing to stage his production as a reading instead of a conventional play, director Jonathan Wolf, SM '02, forces us to listen to Ackerman's words without the diversion of on-stage nudity or elaborate sets that the script calls for.

The play begins as Nancy (Jennifer Thompson, BR '03) and Ben (Joel Maguen, SM '02) are on the verge of orgasm. At the moment of her climax, Nancy cries out, "Do me, you hook-nosed Jew!" Ben is so distraught by this remark that he fails to...finish. Ben is shocked that Nancy is conscious enough of his Judaism that she would think to call him that, even if it was only `dirty talk.'

The chemistry between Thompson and Maguen is electric as their petty argument over Nancy's offensive comment escalates and brings to light some surprising revelations about the way they define themselves. Thompson's bubbly energy stands in hilarious contrast to Maguen's confident intellectualism.

The play's other heterosexual couple are Grace (Anna Swanson, SM '02) and Gene (Michael Graham, TC '02). Grace is an art student and Gene is a hitman, yet neither of them fits into their respective molds. Grace is looking for a sultry, dangerous love affair with a lawless tough guy, while Gene hopes for a leisurely romance with a well-educated bohemian girl; neither of them meets the other's expectations.

REBECCA ROSENTHAL/YH We deliver...but not past midnight.

In one of the play's more subtle jabs at typical relationships, Grace gets increasingly annoyed with Gene's repeated inquiries as to how her day went. Swanson and Graham, in the show's most showy roles, effective-ly use mannerisms (tosses of the hair, roaming hands on the part of Swanson) and speech (Graham's thick New York accent, which is flawless, perhaps because it is his own) to great comic effect.

A third couple rounds out the cast of six. They are Gene's therapist brother Mark (Ian Lowe, DC '04) and his much older friend Mr. Abramson (Peter James Cook, TC '05). Cook stands out with a perfectly delivered performance of an 80-plus year- old gay man.

While Things You Shouldn't Say Past Midnight is at heart a comedy, it also says a great deal about people's need to define themselves. In his note, Wolf asks, "Can we really define ourselves, or is our essence too dynamic?" This question is what ultimately drives the play. So go see Things You Shouldn't Say Past Midnight; you just might learn something.

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