The Main Street Players are warming up their new theater with a hit production that will appeal to women from every generation.
“Rapture, Blister, Burn” by Gina Gionfriddo is a five-character play that takes place in a New England town.
Have you ever wanted to swap lives with a friend?
This comedy-drama reveals the funny and heartbreaking results of such an experiment.
The very talented cast takes the audience along on the sometimes bumpy ride.
The story unfolds as three friends reconnect a decade after graduate school.
Director Danny Nieves draws compelling performances from the actors, who he said, “have had excellent chemistry since day one.”
Catherine (played by Amanda Ortega) is a 40-something single career woman who has returned from New York City to care for her mother Alice (portrayed by Lory Reyes) after the elder woman’s heart attack.
Catherine confronts her past and compares her life choices with those of old friends Gwen (Laura Argo) and Don (Juan Gamero), who are married.
To complicate matters, Don is also an old flame of Catherine’s.
The couple’s 20-something babysitter Avery (played by Katlin Svadbik) and the wiser Alice comment on the trio’s misadventures, to great effect.
Avery especially says what a lot of the audience is thinking.
Ortega playing Catherine is an absolute joy to watch as she moves between tossing off a lighthearted line to delivering a serious monologue. Even while in the background, Ortega should be watched for her facial and physical reactions to what’s happening on stage.
Argo and Gamero are wonderful, too. You’ll feel like you’ve met characters like them before, especially while watching their relationship unfold. Gamero makes you dislike Don -- in the best way possible -- as a husband who is without ambition, happy with his life as it is.
Gwen’s struggles feel real, especially as she mulls her “what if” moments and choices to quit school and become a wife and mother.
In its 48th season, the Main Street Players have moved to their new home, at 6812 Main St. in Miami Lakes, a block west from the old one.
“Rapture, Blister, Burn” runs through May 15. Shows are at 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and at 2 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets are $30 for general admission and $25 for students and seniors.
Visit www.mainstreetplayers.com/tickets to purchase tickets.