By Kari Welch
Jen Silverman’s Wink begins with an explosive reveal by Gregor (Chauncey Mauney), husband to Sophie (Vanessa Greenway), regarding her beloved cat Wink (Paul Dunckel). A revelation that upends the lives of both Gregor, Sophie, and their mutual therapist, Dr. Frans (Josh Simpson). The emotional fallout at first unravels the “normal” of a middle-aged couple no longer connected and sets each character on a path of metamorphosis for better or worse. The emotional shrapnel unleashed exposes each individual’s raw, strange, and perhaps true nature? What lies beneath each of our carefully crafted facades is perhaps what we truly are, no matter how hard we try to “slam it down.”
Director Tara Wibrew guides the cast into a broad comedic telling of what happens when the personas we’ve crafted or been placed into — spouse, patient, adult, dead cat — can no longer contain what lies beneath. What begins with a dead cat, dances through emotional breakdowns, tantrum throwing, and cat seduction, and ends with a feral claim on the happiness we all seek, however unconventional.
Well-performed and carefully crafted, Greenway, Mauney, Simpson, and Dunckel give us characters that are indulgently fun. The set design by Julianne Bodner creates wonderful levels and play spaces that exude a feng shui that is hard to achieve in OCT’s thrust stage space.
Overall, once again, OCT delivers a balanced, polished piece of theatre with a bit of an edge — but not too much.
Wink, at OCT, continues through November
When: Evening performances at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 28-29; matinee performances at 2 p.m. on Nov. 23 and 30; plus a talkback with actors, open to the public, after Sunday shows
Where: Oregon Contemporary Theatre, 194 W. Broadway, downtown Eugene
Tickets: $25-$52; $20 for students (plus a $4 per ticket fee); available from the box office at 541-465-1506 or online at octheatre.org
