Theresa Rebeck, who seems to write a play or two every year (plus TV and novels), turns an acidic eye on marriage in her latest, Poor Behavior, now in its world premiere run at the Taper.
Two bickering, desperately unhappy couples make the mistake of spending a weekend in the country together with disastrous and, unfortunately, all-too-predictable results. Sex and alcohol are the root causes of the troubles that beset Ian (Reg Rogers), his wife Maureen (Sharon Lawrence); Peter (Christopher Evan Welch) and his spouse Ella (Johanna Day). The latter's neuroses-- she's quite mad, really also plays a big part in the domestic war that erupts, a war that is triggered when Ella accuses Maureen of having an affair with her hubby. Ian and Ella are the main combatants and argue about notions of goodness and British vs. American values. They lash into each other with savage comic gusto as they swill cheap Hungarian wine and swap insults and jokes. The jokes, good as they are, begin to repeat and wear thin over the course of the play, revealing the sitcom bones beneath the skin. The actors get laughs throughout, though-- as an ensemble they are, perhaps, better than the play.
