In Pursuit of Perfection and a Proper Scottish Accent

Perfect Days attempts admirably but never quite succeeds at being as innovative and modern as its plot suggests. The American premier of famous Scottish playwright Liz Lochhead's romantic comedy seems eerily pervaded by a sense of d‚ja vu. Two of the play's three controversial themes-the affair between the older female protagonist and a younger man, and the tense relationship between the protagonist and her meddling mother-have been long exploited in literature, theater, and cinema. The third and by far most provocative issue, the homosexual man-heterosexual female coupling that occurs between the protagonist and her gay best friend (coincidentally a hair-dresser), is well on its way to clich‚ status courtesy of Madonna's The Next Best Thing. But bad timing is not solely responsible for the failings of Perfect Days.

A disturbing point is the lighthearted, almost careless approach of the characters toward each of these complicated relationships. Perfect Days begins in the stylish Glasgow loft of its protagonist, Barbs Marshall (Linda Carmichael), a successful hairdresser to the fashion elite. Barbs has money and style, but with a mother who doesn't understand her, a non-existent boyfriend, and an estranged husband, she feels exceptionally lonely. Her loneliness is compounded by the fact that she's not getting any younger: the dreaded 39th birthday is only a week away. So to remedy her self-esteem problems, she decides to have a baby with anyone who is willing to impregnate her. Her good friend Brendan Boyle (Billy Meleady), a gay hair dresser, seems to be the most sensible choice, although choosing the worthiest father is apparently not Barbs' chief concern, since eventually the child's paternity will be called into question. Barbs is too selfish and flighty to be taken very seriously by the audience. Her angst is more the product of an impending mid-life crisis than of any serious problem in her life. As her mother, Sadie Kirkwood (Patricia Pellows in a superb performance) points out, Barbs just needs to "lighten up."

Throughout each of the nine days representing a span of 18 months in the life of Barbs, she never once pauses to consider the effects of her dramatic actions. She never once considers the difficulties of being a single parent, the effect her affair with a 26 year old student, Grant Steel (Ciaran Crawford) will have on her close friendship with Grant's mother, or how to effectively communicate with her own mother. By the end of the play, one leaves wishing that at least one of these serious issues had been resolved.

On a more trivial but nonetheless troublesome note, some of the actors' thick Scottish accents posed yet another barrier between the audience and the performers, most notably with Barbs. This obstacle to communication is especially lamentable considering the intimate nature of the Boston Center for the Arts, a small theater where even the worst seating guarantees proximity with the action on stage.

Despite its problems, entertaining snippets abound to counter the disappointing moments and clich‚s. Perfect Days is a romantic comedy blessed with some very witty lines-Barbs describes her uninterested male neighbor as having PGL, or Pointless Good Looks. Her mother Sadie and her friend Brendan have the funniest roles, a fact that neither actor takes for granted throughout each of their great deliveries. However, former husband Davie Marshall (Derek Nelson), young boyfriend Grant, and friend Alice have considerably less well developed roles, something which limits them despite their considerable acting talent. Always enjoyable, though, is the play's soundtrack-a pastiche of love songs spanning the decades. By the end of the last song, you will probably find that Perfect Days has definitely kept you entertained. Just don't expect a radical departure from a familiar, quaint style of entertainment in this theatergoing experience.