Eavesdropping comes at a price with “Stella & Lou”
NORTHVILLE, Mich.–Watching Stella & Lou is like being the fly on a the wall to a very private and intimate conversation between two friends on the verge of taking their relationship to the next level.
It actually feels mildly uncomfortable at times, especially when Lou, played by Will David Young, says things to poor Stella that are pretty insensitive. Stella, played by Nancy-Elizabeth Kammer, really should have cut the conversation with Lou short by at least 30 minutes because, honey, he doesn’t really deserve you. It became painful to watch her almost beg him to accompany her to dinner. Seriously, girl, get on Tinder. You can do better than this cranky old guy.
Tipping Point is producing the Michigan premiere of the Bruce Graham play, which has been lauded for offering a mature point of view and a vehicle for older actors.
Young and Kammer both seemed well-cast and seemed natural as a prospective couple in the 90-minute, one-act play, which has no intermission.
Directed by James R. Kuhl, the play’s much-needed comic relief comes in the form of Ryan Carlson, who plays the bumbling Donnie, a good friend of Lou’s and a frequent patron of Lou’s bar.
The opening scene has Donnie delivering the eulogy for another regular at Lou’s. After the service, the two find themselves back at the bar. Lou is not happy to have been left with the task of burying his patron, having lost his wife to cancer two years earlier.
Stella comes in just as he is about to close up for the night. It’s clear the two have been longtime friends. Stella would like to take it to the next level, but Lou is reluctant, still deep in grief over the loss of his wife. At one point, exasperated by her well-intentioned but persistent come-ons for nothing more than a dinner date, he tells Stella she could never hold a candle to his wife. Why she doesn’t take this as her cue to exit is unclear until the play’s climax, when the loose ties among Lou, Stella and Lou’s late wife are revealed.
Scenic design is expertly executed by Alex van Blommestein. The set of the bar has many authentic props and features that make it feel real. The lift-up counter which allows ingress into the barkeep’s area, takes a beating during Lou’s emotional moments.
Kudos to sound designer Sonja Marquis, who no doubt helped execute the sound of the air conditioner going on and off which, again, adds to the authenticity of the set design.