Addiction problems, aimless lives, lost loves and college dropouts may not sound like the building blocks of your typical self-described “life-affirming comedy.” But it’s the premise of “Goldfish,” which is seeing its world premiere here in Orange County.
The play, written by John Kolvenbach, directed by Loretta Greco and commissioned by the South Coast Repertory, kicked off last week for a three-week run on the Julianne Argyros Stage.
Fans of good, sharp dialogue should enjoy the performance, which emphasizes characters and words more than elaborate staging, which arguably was the case of recent South Coast performances like “You, Nero.”
The four-person play follows a pair of off-beat college kids, Albert and Lucy, as they fall in love and try to deal with their even more off-beat single parents, who come from different ends of the economic spectrum.
Albert’s dad gambles, Lucy’s mom drinks too much. Both of their addictions have roots in grief over the end of their own relationships and threaten the viability of their kids’ happiness.
The play takes a few scenes to get into top gear, but once it does, the 90-minute performance zips by.
Both parents in the performance, Joan McMurtrey and Conor O’Farrell, shine in their world-weary roles. Unfortunately, they don’t share any scenes together; an unexpected romance between the two single parents might have proved just as compelling as that of their kids.
,Mark Mueller
