Relatively Speaking

Great comedies based on mistaken identity are few and far between. They require an exquisitely crafted plot that imbues every line with a different meaning for each character. The result is a succession of laughs that continue to build as the absurdity is extended beyond what the characters and the audience would have thought possible. Playwright Alan Ayckbourn's Relatively Speaking, now playing at the Germinal Stage Denver, is such a masterpiece.

Jim Miller as Greg and Sallie Diamond as Sheila

Crisply directed by Ed Baierlien, this tale of two intertwined couples is a deftly crafted emotional house of cards that totters on the precipice of catastrophe, right up to the improbable, but just, end.

Ed Baierlein as Philip and Emily Paton Davies as Ginny

Emily Paton Davies showcases her razor-sharp instincts as Ginny, a sexy working girl with a past. Jim Miller is winsome as Greg, her good-natured, but somewhat dense beau. As the plot unfolds, they cross paths with Ginny's former boss, Philip, a devious presence in the hands of Ed Baierlein. It then remains for Philip's unassuming, yet clever wife, Sheila, played jauntily by Sally Diamond, to resolve the plot.

Germinal Stage Denver's uproarious staging of Relatively Speaking is pure, wicked fun. It runs through May 11th. 303-455-7108.

Bob Bows