If meant to give Parisians a glimpse of what Christmastide is like for Maine marrieds, Apocalyptic Butterflies begins negatively. Jeffrey Bracco's woeful Hank Tater finds a cold morning on his 29th birthday. His wife Muriel isn't feeling very warm toward him either. His father-in-law (Paul Vincent, a proper cipher) has dumped thousands of dollars worth of totem poles on his lawn. For luck. Among Muriel's many worries is that her 7-week-old baby is without a chosen name and "could die and go to Limbo." She's an honor grad turned into a hausfrau who wants Hank to clean up after himself and show interest in baby. Then, too, Hank's mistress Trudi (sexy Courtney Kraus), the only person in the play who's not overwhelmed by/in L.L.Bean flannels, feels lonely even when Hank's with her. Should he divorce Muriel and wed the vamp?
Of course, mother in-law Francine (convincing Dorothy Constantine) wants Hank to dump Trudi. At one supposedly last liaison, Trudi tells Hank she'd never consider marrying a man who'd cheat on his wife. Their good-bye kiss is intercepted by Muriel. Will she and the baby leave him? Working out their problems is complicated but ultimately full of Christmas cheer. Sex too.
Among the surprises is the symbolism of a cut-off toe and those titular butterflies. Kaufman's direction makes light of what could be heavy attempts at cleverness. As if miraculously (in every sense), the small stage presents bigger effects. It's a tribute to the production that it holds interest in basically unengaging characters.
