Enter “The Marriage Zone” For a Comical and Insightful Evening
- Meg Taylor Jackson
- Sep 18, 2017
- 3 min read
Originally published at The Hollywood Times: https://www.thehollywoodtimes.today/enter-the-marriage-zone-for-a-comical-and-insightful-evening/
“I’m similar to my character in respect that I have a choice. I have a choice in my daily life, how to look at things, and how to choose to react to things, as does my character.” Rene Ashton plays the character of Beth in the new comedy “The Marriage Zone”, currently showing at The Secret Rose Theatre, directed by the wonderful Jeff Gould. Beth and her husband Cal, portrayed by Kenny Johnston, are in the process of selling their home. In the middle of an argument, they received an unexpected visit from Skip and Ellie, an engaged couple, portrayed by Ryan Cargill and Megan Barker; they are very much in love and are eager to buy their first home. During this visit, another unexpected visit occurs by Mike and Liz, portrayed by Mark Sande and Jacee Jule; a couple who decided to drop by and look around at the house they claimed they had once lived in. The three couples get to chatting and begin to realize how much they have in common; an absurd amount in common that it begins to seem surreal. “You are traveling to another dimension: A dimension of sight and sound and imagination. You are entering…. The Marriage Zone.”
This play was funny, insightful, and gave the audience a great depiction of what marriage really looks like. Everything isn’t always perfect in a relationship and couples argue, frequently. With a lot of comedic relief, the stages of a relationship and the struggles of marriage were executed in an extremely accurate way. Young people fall in love and experience the happy “honeymoon” phase. Once they are married, the couple starts a family together and they have all the outside pressures of the world weighing down on their shoulders as well as their relationship. Sometimes, couples can’t handle all the stresses of life and ultimately fall out of love with their partner, leading to a divorce. Of course, not all marriages lead to divorce, but approximately 50% in The United States do. This play is about a couple getting the chance to change their fate as a divorced couple and fix their marriage. The biggest mistake that was addressed in this play was that couples argue over the smallest of things all the time; they need to choose when to pick their arguments and how they react and communicate with each other. Seeing her future, Beth realized her marriage failed because her and Cal spent their whole marriage pointing fingers at each other. They gave in to all of life’s struggles and let it tear them apart; but not anymore. This experience gave Beth and Cal a new outlook on their life together; pick your battles wisely, show your partner the same amount of love and affection as you did in the beginning of your relationship, handle every obstacle together as a team, and remember that divorce isn’t always the answer, you can make it work.
Go see “The Marriage Zone” at The Secret Rose Theatre, 11246 Magnolia Blvd., North Hollywood, CA 91601. There is a municipal parking lot (metered) across the street. Now playing through October 28 2017. Show times include Fridays at 8:00 on September 15, 22, October 6, 13, 20, 27. Saturdays at 8:00 on September 16, 23, October 7, 14, 21, 28. Sundays at 3:00 on September 17 and 24. This production is such a treat, take your friends and enjoy a good laugh and an even better show!
Kommentit