by Mike Hoban

 

First Love is the Revolution – Written by Rita Kalnejais; Directed by Danielle Fauteux Jacques; Scenic Design: Nathan Lee/Elizabeth Rocha; Sound: Jennifer Timms; Costumes: Elizabeth Cole Sheehan. Presented by the Apollinaire Theatre Company at the Chelsea Theatre Works, 189 Winnisimmet St., Chelsea, MA through May 5

 

First Love is the Revolution, the darkly comic twist on the Romeo & Juliet theme now being given a delightful staging by Apollinaire Theatre Company, is not your typical star-crossed lovers tale. Sure, it’s got all of the key elements – a rebellious teen girl and her equally troubled teenage boy love interest pursuing a relationship that their parents (or anyone else alive or dead) would clearly disapprove of – but that’s where the similarities to any other love story end, with the possible exception of Beauty and the Beast. But don’t be looking for this story to be turned into a Disney film anytime soon – despite its undeniable charms.

 

Rdeca (Hayley Spivey) is a fox. And not the kind that Steve Martin and Dan Akroyd futilely pursued on SNL in the disco era either. She is an actual red fox living with her mother (Bridget Hayes), brother Thoreau (Armando Rivera) and sister Gustina (Khloe Alice Lin) in a wooded area just outside the city. When we first meet the family, Mom is dragging home Gregor the Mole (Dale J. Young) for the children to practice their killing skills on. The kids must learn to hunt since their father was recently run over by a car while pursuing a shish kebab that had been tossed on the roadway. But we quickly learn that Rdeca is not your ordinary fox. She balks at killing Gregor, and after merely stunning the mole, tells him she loves him and begins an uneasy friendship with the affable creature.

 

 

Across town, Basti (MacMillan Scott Leslie) – short for Sebastian – is living a teenage nightmare with his abusive and unemployed father, Simon (Rob Cope). Dad greets him at the breakfast table with gems like, “Hey Boss, you look like a douchebag in your (school) uniform”, then later gives him lessons in self-defense against school bullies – by repeatedly sucker punching him in the face. Basti’s mother is unable to help him, as she is currently residing in a local psych ward, no doubt as a result of her relationship with Simon.

 

Basti distracts himself by setting a trap for the animals that have been loitering in his backyard, and on her first night out as a hunter, Rdeca gets snagged in the trap. She persuades Basti to release her and the pair strike up an admiring friendship that you know will soon have sparks flying – as weird as that seems (and is). Did I mention that Rdeca is a talking fox? A story like this obviously requires an early buy-in of suspension of disbelief for it to work, and thankfully, I took the bait right from the start – largely due to the commitment of the players. The highly animated childlike play and physical movement of the fox brood right at the start created the necessary alternate reality – one that never faded.

 

 

The performances throughout the production are uniformly strong, beginning with Spivey and Leslie as the unlikely lovers. Spivey’s boundless enthusiasm in the role is infectious, and serves as a perfect counterpoint to Leslie’s convincing portrayal of the tortured Basti. Cope is plenty disturbing in his role as the creepy and sociopathic Simon, and the choice to cast veteran Boston actors Liz Adams and Caroline Keeler as grass seed-obsessed chickens is inspired (they’re hilarious). Director Danielle Jacques paces the action beautifully, balancing the absurd comedy with the pathos (not to mention the adorable but completely bizarre physical relationship between Rdeca and Basti) – which is no easy trick with this piece.

 

The set design by Nathan Lee and Elizabeth Rocha is simple but imaginative, creating three separate play areas including the woods, the fox den and Simon and Basti’s crappy apartment – all on one stage. First Love may not be everyone’s cup of tea because of it’s ludicrous nature, but it worked for me and I recommend it for those who like their theatre a little off the beaten trail – something Apollinaire excels at. For more information and tickets, go to: www.apollinairetheatre.com