by John Quinn

Posted: Jan. 13, 2015 at 2:20 p.m.

When Bailey Boudreau welcomes his patrons to the “unconventional performance space” now housing Slipstream Theatre Initiative, it’s met by appreciative laughter. The venue is different indeed, at least in terms of what the hoi polloi consider a theater. But the wise already know that art can be generated in unexpected places. And if a theater comprises two (yes, two; more on that later) banquet rooms above Checkers Bar & Grill in Cadillac Square, the choice is merely in keeping with Slipstream’s Mission Statement: “To blur the lines between classical and contemporary theatre by creating original new works and re-imagining classics for a current minded audience.”

Boudreau knows unconventional. He is both playwright and director of “Tongues,” a quirky, dark comedy that proudly wears the tagline, “Happy endings are over-rated.” It’s better to describe its structure because deconstruction of the plot unleashes spoilers – and the element of surprise drives this story.

The characters are three couples: James (Daniel Jaroslaw), a running dog capitalist and his crazy trophy wife Brandy (Tricia Turek), Abe (David Galido), a high school English teacher carrying on a sordid affair with a 17-year-old student, Danny (Daniel Miller), who appears to be something of a Lolita (does that make him Lolito?), and a young couple (Steve Xander Carson and Tiaja Sabrie), whose relationship is defined by fighting. Adding to the sense that the structure is as loose as a Kardashian is the “woman behind the curtain”, a Psychic (Jennifer A. J. Jolliffe), whose abstract Tarot readings only muddle the situation.

Got all that? Here comes the surprise: there actually is a structure to “Tongues” – it’s a spiral! With each run around the circle, Boudreau forces his characters closer together, until the pressure causes an inevitable explosion. The ultimate turn is a twist that lifts the play out of farce and into the realm of the absurd – surprise, surprise indeed.

If one has high expectations of quality in this production, then there are no surprises. The cast navigates its complexities with aplomb. The biggest surprise of the night is how the different sets are displayed in this one act play. Instead of stagehands moving furniture, the whole audience moves their posteriors to chairs in the next room (See? TWO!). Boudreau and his technical designer, Alexander Henderson Trice, are thinking outside the black box theater. In sum, not only is “Tongue” new, it’s novel. And why not keep in step with the times? It’s a new year, a new play, and a new point of view.

SHOW DETAILS: ‘Tongues’ by Bailey Boudreau

Slipstream Theatre Initiative

124 Cadillac Square, Detroit, MI 48226

7:00 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 13, 20, 27

7:00 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 14, 21, 28

7:00 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 18, 25

7:00 p.m. Monday, Jan. 19, 26

90 minutes, no intermission

$10

248-298-9617

www.slipstreamti.com