Dinner with Friends

Do we always look at the marriage — or the dissolution of marriage — of our friends through the prism of our own experience? Dinner with Friends really made me ponder that point. And I still have no answer.

And the fact that the divorcing couple, Tom and Beth, are each incredibly self-centered, albeit in different ways, might have made it easier to identify with the other couple, Karen and Gabe, but the question of how much we can understand outside of our experience remains.

I missed the chance to see this play, performed and directed by some very talented friends, a few years ago. But recently, at my acting class, the teacher handed me a monologue from the show. Intrigued, I decided to tackle some of the material as a monologue piece.

There are two married couples in the story who are close friends. But when one of the couples divorces, the friendship is thrown for a loop and the intact couple must confront some of the more unpleasant of life's realities.

The issues dealt with here are universal to marriage, aging, and friendship. But they're dealt with so deftly and sensitively that nothing ever feels cliched. I'd welcome any chance to see it performed or to perform in it.

The story follows two married couples in their 40s. Gabe and Karen, happily married with kids, and Tom and Beth, who are in the midst of getting a divorce. The play paints an intimate portrait of marriage and friendship. The play is really well done, giving glimpses of each of the characters' true feelings, which aren't always pretty.

is this what they call chick lit?