By John Quinn

Article: 9513; Posted: March 27, 2015 at 4:30 p.m.

In any relationship, a delicate balance of personalities is important. In The Kiss of the Sun for Pardon, playwright Lans Traverse shows that however far the teeter may totter there remains a calm at the center.

The Detroit Repertory Theatre here is producing the U.S. premiere of this new endearing dramatic comedy.

Living isolated on his rural property near Cherokee, OK, T-Bone (Todd Hissong) is set in his ways. He has his orchids and coupon collection. What he doesn’t have is full mobility. Chasing muskrats out of the house is difficult in a wheel chair. His ad for live-in help attracts homeless, barefoot Oriel (Morgan Breon).

A brief, polite beginning, as the two sound each other out, becomes bickering more suitable for a long-married couple. Familiarity, they say, breeds contempt. Pragmatic and level-headed Oriel begins an incessant battle against T-Bone’s narrow-minded parsimony. Emotions flare when Oriel and T-Bone’s best and only friend, Wally (Mark Halpin), develop a mutual attraction.

The Kiss of the Sun for Pardon is a fast-paced, witty piece that depends on Traverse’s strongly developed characters. While the story has a young, black woman opposite an older, unredeemed redneck, their conflict is neither generational nor racial. Instead, conflict and resolution is driven by their unique personalities, which give the play a universality well beyond what could be expected from sticking to stereotypes.

Director Leah Smith keeps her cast on the top of their game, maintaining a crisp tempo through a slight falter in the second act narrative. After a strikingly emotional scene that points towards a climax, we find that blocks of exposition have been left as a surprise. By maintaining her measured pacing, the ensuing two scenes still hold our interest.

“The Kiss of the Sun for Pardon” features set design and construction by Harry Wetzel, with an interior and exterior to T-Bone’s narrow world. It is complimented by a lighting design by Thomas Schraeder that features a warm inviting glow for the house’s little rooms, in contrast to a much starker sunlight. Costume designer Judy Dery selected the men’s wardrobe to look comfortable and maybe even slept in. Dressing the sylph-like Morgan Breon in a series of beltless shifts complements Oriel’s character. She’s at once childlike and provocative, seemingly vulnerable until one encounters the steely will her posture indicates.

Chalk up The Kiss of the Sun for Pardon as yet another gem mined by Detroit Rep. Keep ‘em coming, folks.

SHOW DETAILS:
The Kiss of The Sun for Pardon
Detroit Repertory Theatre
13103 Woodrow Wilson, Detroit
Thursdays from March 26-May 17, 2015 at 8:30
Price: $17 in advance; $20 at door
313-868-1347
www. detroitreptheatre.com