Fingers & Spoons: The Ins and Outs of an Open Marriage

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[avatar user=”Brett Singer” size=”96″ align=”left”] Brett Singer, Critic[/avatar]

A one-woman show about an open marriage is either the best or the worst choice for date night. What if it gives either partner ideas? “Hey honey, this sounds hot.” “What? You think this is hot?”

Fingers & Spoons does have its titillating moments, with descriptions of sex and even mild simulations. (The show is sexual enough that it would probably be a hit at the Edinburgh Fringe.) You will leave knowing that Pascale Roger-McKeever, the author and star, likes to be called a slut, at least under the right circumstances. You will not, however, leave with a greater understanding of open marriage.

The show starts with Roger-McKeever telling us that her husband (who gets off easy here) wants to enter into an open marriage. This seems, at best, a complicated suggestion. The author agrees, somewhat reluctantly, in part because she has people she wants to sleep with, so why not?

Something very interesting happens about three-quarters of the way through the play – the author falls in love. She tells her husband, who immediately declares his love for his wife and decides he wants out of the arrangement he suggested. Then the topic is dropped. Why? This is by far the most interesting thing that has happened so far – we get to see the consequences of their actions. But the author has more she wants to cover, like her bulimia. If the play were more focused, it would be more successful.

Roger-McKeever has a gift for talking about serious topics in a calm tone, and even if you don’t have any experience with open marriages or bulimia, there are relatable details, like the overflowing box of New Yorker magazines she needs to get rid of when she moves.

Roger-McKeever is a solid performer, and the show is well directed by Austin Pendleton. The lighting by Josh Iacovelli is evocative. The set, also by Iacovelli, is simple but intriguing – just a creatively used stool and a rope woman held up by four strands that are gradually cut; a nice touch. The music by Tanya Tomkins helps break up the scenes.

Fingers & Spoons (through June 2, 2024)

Here We Roar Productions

SoHo Playhouse, 15 Vandam Street, in Manhattan

For tickets, visit http://www.sohoplayhouse.com

Running time: 80 minutes without an intermission