A year ago Curious Theatre premiered a new play, “The Luckiest People,” that told the tale of the Hoffman family at a moment of great change and transition. And the Denver-based theater is giving audiences some resolution with the recent premiere of the second part of this family’s tale, “Your Best One.”
The two plays, commissioned from playwright Meridith Friedman by Curious Theatre, are meant to be able to be viewed as standalone pieces. But is pretty clear from the get go that the emotional punch in “Your Best One” is lessened without seeing “The Luckiest People.”
That isn’t to say “Your Best One” isn’t enjoyable. A quiet drama full of great acting, the show is a slow moving piece that is intently focused on its characters’ emotional growth. Friedman eschews heightened tension and crazy plot twists for a dose of realism and family drama.
The story centers around Richard Hoffman reconnecting with his former partner, David, after he learns his ex has colon cancer. The pair split at the end of the last play because of Richard’s cold feet at adopting a child, something David decided to do on his own.
That child, now a teenager named Josh, is central to Richard and David’s new relationship as the two men figure out what a relationship could even look like with so much water under the bridge. Along for the ride is Richard’s sister, the acerbicly funny and nerotic Laura who is dealing with family drama of her own halfway across the globe, and their father, the crotchety Oscar.
There is never a moment during “Your Best One” that the audience will feel lost without knowing the first part of this story. But that doesn’t mean “Your Best One” can truly stand on its own, especially when it comes to the relationship between Richard and his father, Oscar.
While the scenes between Richard, played by Erik Sandvold, and Oscar, played by Randy Moore, are funny and endearing, it’s very apparent that much of the subtext of their relationship is based on the transpirings in “The Luckiest People.” There are moments the two share that seem like they should hit the audience harder, but without the backstory the emotional punch ends up being just a tap.
Even without a viewing of “The Luckiest People” though, the story of David and Richard’s relationship is why “Your Best One” works as a standalone piece. Sandvold and John Jurcheck, as David, work well together and make a believable pair of exes harboring both pain and love from the other. As the story movies along and Richard grows as a character, Sandvold does a great job of not telegraphing how his character is set to change by the end scene.
While every actor in “Your Best One” is great in their own right, if it weren’t for Colin Covert performance as Josh, this play wouldn’t be able to get off the ground. Covert, a high school student himself, is perfect as the cocky high school drama student trying to put on an act while his father deals with cancer. And it’s his interactions with Sandvold that are so critical to believing Richard’s transformation and growth by the end of the play. If Covert couldn’t carry his weight on stage, everything else would collapse in the story. Luckily the kid shines in every scene he’s in.
3.5 out of 5 stars
“Your Best One” at the Curious Theatre Company. 1080 Acoma St., Denver
Playing now through June 10. For more information and tickets, visit www.curioustheatre.org or call 303-623-0524.