With clever dialogue and engaging performances by Theatre AUM's seven ensemble actors under Neil David Seibel's able direction, Buddies: a Bro-mantic Comedy by Ben Abbott opened its Alabama debut on Thursday after its generation at the "Hollins Playwrights Lab" last Summer.
In a series of episodes, David [Meadow Lokey] and Julia [Sam Crevensten] host concurrent gatherings at their home: a book-club meeting for the women which is more about gossip than literature, and an awkward men's meeting where they watch football and reveal little about themselves or their mates.
Julia's sister Kelsey [Sarah Paterson] and her partner Adam [Michael James Pritchard], married couple Jake [Zameron Boozer] and Erica [Tara Laurel], and friend Billy [Aaron Rudnick] make up the mix of multi-dimensional characters who break the stereotypical male and female expectations.
And their children [never seen but impactfully present via special effects] enter and exit like tornadoes every once in a while.
While the women cajole their men to become more open and reveal to them their "secrets", the men -- uncomfortable and reluctant at first -- eventually discover for themselves and surprisingly for the women how liberated they become during the play's two acts.
It's all lighthearted fare interspersed with more serious investigations of such subjects as friendship, marriage, social discomfort, homophobia, political disagreement, and the possibilities of genuine Platonic love among men...all of which become catalysts for every character's growth.
Design elements are all top-notch in supporting the text and characters, though sound levels are frequently too soft; and actors' voices are sometimes drowned out by audience laughter or for lack of vocal support.
Buddies: a Bro-mantic Comedy is a delightful comedy that leaves audiences smiling and laughing, perhaps in recognizing a lot about themselves.
