PORT HURON, Mich.–Love, confusion, deception, reminiscence and longing all appear on The Citadel Stage here this month as Enter Stage Right presents Prelude To A Kiss by Craig Lucas. As Valentine’s Day approaches, director Regina Spain shows how an unexpected twist of fate, plus a stranger with unknown motives, can change not only the way you love someone, but your whole outlook on life.

We start by meeting Peter (Steve Potter), a confident and somewhat witty guy who’s still mildly awkward around the girl who’s recently caught his eye, Rita (Brittany Bauman). Peter also acts as the story’s narrator, addressing the audience directly throughout the show to explain how he’s feeling—often anxious about the object of his affection. Rita, on the other hand, is quite comfortable being forward with Peter, but more pessimistic about life in general: her career goals, political and social outlook, the wisdom of bringing children into a chaotic world. Her pessimism manifests itself as chronic insomnia. Like yin and yang, Peter and Rita fall for each other quickly, absorbing every detail about each other, and within a couple months are engaged.

At Peter and Rita’s wedding, we meet Rita’s interesting (and a few of them tipsy) family members, but there seems to be a guest no one is familiar with; the elderly gentleman (Michael McCartan) approaches Rita with well wishes and offers her a congratulatory kiss. Immediately, the two of them seem discombobulated, but the gentleman is shuffled on his way, and Peter and Rita embark on their honeymoon.

It doesn’t take long for Peter to notice something is amiss about Rita; her habits and mannerisms become unfamiliar, and she doesn’t seem too remember special details about their relationship, or even details about her own life. Over the course of the vacation, Peter convinces himself that Rita is not the Rita he fell in love with, and even after he confronts her, she adamantly denies anything is wrong. Upon their return home, however, Rita leaves him suddenly and returns to her parent’s home.

Peter is left wondering what is going on, and how to get his beloved Rita back, when he runs into the old man again, Together, they piece together what happened—Rita’s and the old man’s souls have switched bodies—and must devise a plan to rectify the situation.

The cosmic force that has caused the switch is never the focal point of the story. The real questions that beg to be answered are: how well do you really know someone? and: how do our insecurities affect our lives? We learn that Peter knows more about Rita in eight weeks than her parents have learned about her in her lifetime. Peter also trusts his instincts, which are spot on, when no one else seems to notice Rita’s unusual behavior, and he is unafraid to act on his suspicions.

The most poignant layer of this story is when we learn that this remarkable event was caused by the longings of both Rita and the old man to have a life unencumbered by their own troubles and insecurities. But seeing life through the lens of our fantasies can often teach us that life is not always greener on the other side, and help us see the meaning in the life we are given.

The main energy of this production stems from the performance by Potter as Peter. He is simultaneously awkward and slightly neurotic, perceptive, adaptable and determined. He shows the progression of Peter’s desperation as he comprehends what has happened, attempts to deal with it and later to find a solution. The moments when he addresses the audience as narrator are genuine and character driven. Bauman, as Rita, brings two distinctly different types of energy to the stage, as she portrays both giggly Rita and the ambivalent old man.

Things move a bit more slowly in Act II than Act I, at least until the end when we get to see Peter, Rita and the old man finally come together. While the majority of the show seems to center on Peter and his reactions to this strange fate, the end is when we finally see more deeply into the souls of Rita and the old man.

Scenic design is minimal, but efficient use of rotating set pieces allows several distinct scenes to be portrayed in a small space, and changed quickly. A few of the scene transitions are made smoother by utilizing Peter as the narrator, who “undresses” and “dresses” in front of the audience to bridge the scenes while set changes are being made behind him.

There are a couple instances of mild language and low-key sexual situations. This production is probably best appreciated by those 18 and over. While it is not action driven, there is a lot that can be learned about trusting instincts, and trusting fate to lead you to the life you deserve.

Prelude To A Kiss runs through February 17, 2019 at The Citadel Stage in Port Huron.