Two things happen in the play, “Burial Tax,” now playing at Firehouse Theatre, that I can safely say you have never seen on stage before. And they both involve pizza.
It would be bad form to spoil what exactly unfolds but, like many scenes in this world premiere written by local actor, director and screenwriter Andrew Gall, both incidents are surprising and darkly hilarious.
And while “Burial Tax” has laughs aplenty, Gall also develops a compelling dramatic arc where the disappointment and frustration among the members of two couples erupts into intense conflict but then resolves into something like reconciliation.
Director Paul Takács has assembled an accomplished cast that expertly navigates the broad emotional range of the plot and also adds nuance and dimension in the places where the script occasionally falls short.
The play starts with husband and wife Steve and Cora (Max Meixler and Laine Satterfield) cleaning up Steve’s family cabin after AirBnB tenants have trashed the place. It quickly becomes clear that renting out the lakeside retreat is only the latest in a long series of ill-advised choices Steve has made, inspiring a festering animosity in Cora.
The couple are prepping the cabin for a gathering organized to spread Steve’s father’s ashes. Bad turns worse when Steve’s estranged sister Samantha (Nicole Morris-Anastasi) shows up unexpectedly with boyfriend Dar (Duke Lafoon) in tow. Longstanding resentments between the siblings are aired, ensnaring their partners in the tricky family dynamics.
Scenic designer Chris Raintree fills the Firehouse stage to overflowing with an impressive, expansive and well-appointed cabin set that spends most of the performance strewn with garbage. The refuse serves as a fitting reminder of the messy relationships depicted, with every character except Dar fixating on past slights, regrets, and outright lies.
Satterfield, who graced the Firehouse stage in “Smoke” only weeks ago, once again reveals her dazzling talents. She effectively chews this scenery with formidable gusto, getting many of the best zingers. Her character is more than a shrew, however. She communicates unexpected empathy for Samantha and knowingly shuts down Dar when he starts fishing for a deeper connection.
Gall gives Dar several fascinating monologues throughout the play, reflecting some of his best writing and Lafoon digs deeply into each one. While it slightly derails a rising sense of drama late in the action, Dar’s musings on superheroes while getting high with Steve turns out to be a highlight of the evening.
As the siblings, Morris-Anastasi and Meixler come off somewhat more one-note, Steve largely blustery and clueless, Samantha resentful and strident. But both actors manage to inject some grayer shades between the extremes, particularly when Samantha relates the details of her last encounter with their father and when Steve finally comes to some bitter realizations.
Sound designer Grace Brown Labelle helps orient the cabin in its Lake Michigan milieu with evocative effects, and the moody original music by Daniel Clarke sets a subdued tone.
There are some pacing challenges in the piece that Takács does his best to resolve, with the scene of Dar and Samantha’s arrival, for example, stretching out too long. In retrospect, some character choices are unconvincing: Could Steve really be that blind to the pain he caused Samantha when they were kids?
That said, the play exhibits a mature sense of how to build tension and Gall includes many clever quips and vivid turns of phrase. I particularly liked Cora dubbing the cabin a “fortress of failure.”
When a gun is found early on, it lends an ominous tone to the proceedings as Gall reminds us of its presence several times.
But, in keeping with the many unexpected pleasures of this play, it ends up being the pizza that you really have to look out for.
“Burial Tax” is playing at Firehouse Theatre, 1609 West Broad St. through July 27. Tickets and information available at https://www.firehousetheatre.org/.
