SPOUSAL DEAFNESS…AND OTHER BONES OF
CONTENTION
Directed by David Kaye; written by
Susan Poulin and Gordon Carlisle; set design, construction, painting, and
graphic design by Gordon Carlisle; all songs written by Gordon Carlisle
except for “Spousal Deafness,” written by Gordon Carlisle and Keith Zeller
With: Susan Poulin and Gordon Carlisle
At the Public Theatre in Lewiston, Maine
From November 9 to November 18, 2007
Reviewed by Laurie Meunier Graves
Movies,
literature, and plays are full of sparring couples that illustrate the
battle of the sexes. Light-hearted examples include Beatrice and Benedick (Much
Ado about Nothing), Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy (Pride and
Prejudice), and Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell (His Girl Friday).
For a darker tone, we have George and Martha from Who's Afraid of
Virginia Woolf?, and they show what can happen when the battle goes too
far and too deep. One might sensibly wonder, what in the world fuels this
battle of the sexes? Is it biology? Some sort of survival of the fittest via
the mingling of two combative people who might eventually become parents? Is
it induced by society? Are men and women, from the time they are children,
taught to be in opposition with each other? Is it simply a power play, the
never-ending need for control? Whatever the answer, the battle of the sexes
certainly has given writers and actors through the ages plenty of creative
material to explore.
In
Spousal Deafness… and Other Bones of Contention, two of Maine’s finest
humorists—Susan Poulin and Gordon Carlisle—have taken this age-old conflict
and have given it a contemporary twist, examining it through the prism of
marriage. Using songs, skits, and clever character cutouts to add snap to
the battle, Poulin and Carlisle, who are, in fact, married, portray a
couple—Susan and Gordon—that is almost certainly based on real-life
experiences. The honeymoon is definitely over for these two, and as Susan
tells Gordon, “You’ve developed some habits that get on my nerves.” Going by
his complaints, vocalized along with hers in the opening song “Bones of
Contention,” I would have to say that his nerves seem to be as frayed as
hers.
And
what are the complaints? The first bone of contention is romance. She wants
picnics with lovely food and a splendid view. He scoffs at the notion,
telling her that she’s watched too many chick flicks and has read too much
Jane Austen. She also wants flowers. What does he want? Sexy underwear,
thongs, and teddies, and one of the funniest songs, “Underwear,” outlines
his complaint of how she’s gone from lace to fleece. Her tart rejoinder is
to note that there’s a reason why the Victoria’s Secret models aren’t
smiling—they have cold feet and wedgies.
His
idea of a great vacation is a twenty-mile hike in the mountains, with a tent
and a sleeping bag to greet them at the end of the day. Her dream is to go
to the ocean, someplace where it’s warm, and sip tropical drinks as she sits
on the beach. He can’t imagine just sitting around all day. And, besides,
they don’t have enough money to go to Florida or to the Caribbean, and the
undercurrent of a tight budget adds a serious note to this light-hearted
production. They not only can’t go on a tropical vacation, but they also
have a hard time paying their bills, a reality for many married couples that
certainly adds stress to a relationship. As much as Susan dreams of warm
ocean waters, she soon realizes that Gordon is right about their finances,
and she scales back her request: What about a vacation in the White
Mountains that includes a stay at a bed and breakfast? Gordon isn’t so sure
about this; it doesn’t sound “manly” enough for him, and the vacation
conflict serves to act as a loose plot for Spousal Deafness.
And so
it goes, as Kurt Vonnegut would say. It’s just one irritation after another,
from her obsession with a clean house to his inability to listen to her when
she talks. (Hence the Spousal Deafness of the title.) There’s
even a hilarious “ad” touting “Listen Up!,” a device for husbands with a
certain type of spousal hearing challenge. (If such a product existed, I’d
be tempted to send for it.)
By the
end, when Gordon goes off on one of his buddy jaunts, and Susan has the
house to herself, they are both relieved to have some time apart. But wonder
of wonders, despite all the bones of contention, after a few days, they
actually begin to miss each other. When he returns, they make the kind of
good compromises that keeps couples together, and no, I am not going to tell
you what they are. Poulin and Carlisle travel near and far with this fine,
wise, and funny production, and you will just have to go see it when it
comes to a theater near you.
