Food for thought
By Daily Bruin Staff
Oct. 9, 2000 9:00 p.m.
 Photos from Geffen Playhouse (Left to right)
Daniel Stern, Rita Wilson,
Kevin Kilner, and Dana Delany
explore marriage in the play "Dinner With Friends," a rueful comedy
about friendship in the age of divorce, playing now in the Geffen
Playhouse.
By Terry Tang
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
Just like philosophers and self-help gurus, writers ““
whether it’s in literature or theater ““ have questioned
time and again whether the American dream of marriage, a house and
2.5 kids inevitably turns into a nightmare or a big snooze at
best.
In “Dinner With Friends,” which opened the fifth
season of the Geffen Playhouse, playwright Donald Margulies
explores whether husbands and wives can survive the test of time
and retain even a glimmer of the sparks that first ignited them
into wedded passion.
Though a breezy comedy at times, the Pulitzer Prize-winning
drama is more than just a light supper. The play delves deeper,
rousing the audience to wonder why spousal communication seems to
get harder instead of easier as the years go by.
Although the play opens with a casual dinner get-together, the
conversation is anything but carefree.
Gabe (Daniel Stern) and Karen (Rita Wilson), both cultured and
renowned food critics, are happily married, as solid and
well-balanced as one of the gourmet meals they encounter. Of
course, an integral part of their couplehood is spending dinners
and even vacations at Martha’s Vineyard with their best
friends, Tom (Kevin Kilner) and Beth (Dana Delaney).
So, it comes as an earth-shattering shock when Beth tearfully
breaks down at their kitchen table and reveals that Tom has left
her for another woman and wants out of their marriage. As Gabe and
Karen try to counsel both without choosing sides, they must
confront the idea that their marriage may be reaching stagnation as
well.
 Photos from Geffen Playhouse Daniel Stern and Rita Wilson
star in the Pulitzer Prize-winning “Dinner with
Friends.” One surprising and provocative effect of
“Dinner With Friends” is that Margulies’ writing
doesn’t let Tom become a convenient target for the bad-guy
label. Through the buddy-to-buddy scenes between Tom and an
understanding Gabe, the audience listens to where Tom is coming
from.
His affair doesn’t come out of spite but a need to feel
validated after years of loneliness. Although his disclosures may
not elicit pity, they give him a wider dimension.
As Tom and Beth evolve into different people months after their
break-up, their new perspectives and new dating lives affect their
friendships with Gabe and Karen, respectively. Part of their bond
was that they were all married and going through the same trivial
things.
While the play examines the unholy side of matrimony through
both couples, the story gains more steam when focused on Gabe and
Karen. Their distinctive appeal is due to the charming and subtly
strong performances of Stern and Wilson. Both their characters seem
made for each other.
For example, in one scene, they fold the bed covers together in
an impeccable rhythm without missing a beat at the same time
finishing each other’s sentences. Yet, once in bed, they
cannot find the right words when it comes to discussing their own
intimacy.
Wilson, who has made a steady career out of playing the loyal
and wise-cracking best friend (“The Story of Us,”
“Sleepless In Seattle”) brings the same skills to
Karen. Under Daniel Sullivan’s direction, the actor tones
down the tension just by using body language or facial
expressions.
She also portrays a no-nonsense demeanor that convincingly
crumbles when she realizes Beth’s troubles have invaded her
secure, middle-class life.
Although Stern (perhaps best known as the voice of an adult
Kevin on “The Wonder Years”) plays the dutiful and
well-meaning husband, he serves as more than just comic relief.
The moments when he quietly contemplates the evolution of his
marriage provide some of the most poignant scenes.
Delaney (“China Beach”) gives a warm performance as
the troubled and neurotic Beth. Meanwhile, Kevin Kilner fares well
as Tom. Unfortunately, his characterization brings a smugness
instead of sympathy when Tom feels better than he has in years
because he is somebody else’s “boy toy” at
43.
Still, at a time when the divorce rate is close to 50 percent
and families are trying to figure out how to keep having it all,
the play brings up many relevant and sobering points concerning
romance and commitment. Though not a fine wine, “Dinner With
Friends” gives you plenty of food for thought.
THEATER: “Dinner With Friends” runs through Oct. 29
at the Geffen Playhouse. Tickets are $20 to $42. Student Rush
tickets may be available 15 minutes prior to curtain for $10. For
more information, call (310) 208-5454 or Ticketmaster at (213)
365-3500 or visit www.geffenplayhouse.com.
