Completeness
By Itamar Moses
Directed by Jeremy Wechsler
At Theater Wit, Chicago
Witty, wordy and worthy tech-driven romantic comedy is a winner
Itamar Moses pens a smart com temporary tech-driven romantic comedy that makes the case that romantic love is far more complex than scientific formulas despite the best efforts by nerdy grad students. Completeness features a curious blend of rapid-fire tech-speak about algorithms and molecular biology that is mixed with awkward rather elliptical dialogue by two souls struggling to find intimacy.
Elliot (Matt Holzfeind), a programmer wiz eyes a sexy student, Molly (Kristina Valada-Viars) in the campus computer lab. Sparks fly as the two awkwardly fumble through their mutual attraction. Molly speaks of her need to enhance her protein study; Elliot brags he can write an algorithm to help her prove her theory. The two end up in bed as each struggles with the overwhelming issues more complex than their near comprehensible intellectual problems-romantic love!
What makes this cute and eye-popping techno production work (despite a computer crash) work is the terrific charming and totally honest performance by Matt Holzfeind as the nerdy wholesome nerd. We easily relate to Elliott as he works out his personal foibles involving his inability to sustain a romantic relationship. His possible soul mate, Molly, played with truthful ambivalence by Kristina Valada-Viars, seems also befuddled by her mixed feeling about romantic commitment.
Filled with geeky eloquence and stumbling in-articulation. Completeness is a sweet, light-hearted romantic comedy which two most likable characters. We laugh, we relate and we cheer for Elliott and Molly to go for total commitment. Playwright Moses weaves dense intellectual quandaries and basic human romantic sparks into s delightful, sexy and honest contemporary comedy. he proves that love does, indeed, defy logic. One of the achievements of this production is how Holzfeind and Valada-Viars deftly speak, in rapid-fire, Moses tech speak with much elliptical, incomplete sentence much like Mamet-speak proving that scientific dialogue with personal interjections can both educate and reveal character. It can also be funny.
Completeness give a fresh look at the age-old problem of intimacy and romantic commitment with a dose of hope. it is smart, funny, and quite worthy.
Recommended
Tom Williams
Talk Theatre in Chicago podcast
Date Reviewed: February 22, 2013
For more info checkout the Completeness page at theatreinchicago.com
At Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont. Chicago, IL