FRINGE ENCORE SERIES: The More Loving One

Another Fringe Festival has come and gone, taking the end of summer with it, but the Fringe Encore Series is just getting underway. The series features 18 of the most well-received Fringe shows, including winner of the FringeNYC overall excellence award for best production of a play, The More Loving One.

Cory Conley's play takes place in a college town and explores how a trial affects two couples--Matt (David Beck, who resembles Patrick Wilson in everything but his voice) and his wife Lauren (Adriana Degirolami) and their roommate Heinrich (Jimmy Davis) and his boyfriend Henry (Preston Martin), who have been together just as long as Matt and Lauren. The action mostly takes place on the evening of campus move-in day. Matt has spent most of the day testifying against his friend and colleague in a statutory rape trial and as the couples discuss the events of the day, more about their relationships are revealed. The play treads familiar territory, but it goes in some genuinely surprising directions. It's structured in a way that constantly keeps you guessing. Director Craig Baldwin does well by the flashback scenes that shed light on some of the conversations without feeling forced. There are some laugh-out-loud moments to lighten the tension, mostly courtesy of Martin. The characters aren't all that likable, which makes it hard to care what happens to them (you may find yourself wanting to throw things at them), but Conley is certainly a playwright to watch.

Remaining performances are Wed 9/14 @ 9, Tue 9/20 @ 8, Thu 9/22 @ 9:30, and Mon 9/26 @ 8

Photo credit: Ryan Mekenian