‘Boys’ Life’ kicks off Richmond’s fall theater season

Howard Korder's 1988 "Boys' Life" is a mostly comic play about three 20-something guys wallowing in their immaturity.

But there's more to this Firehouse Theatre Project season opener than bad behavior. The play was nominated for a Pulitzer (it lost to "Driving Miss Daisy"). It's an acid-tongued, gimlet-eyed look at three young men who lack direction and morality, but they're not the guys Vince Vaughn plays in movies -- they actually reveal rudimentary consciences and hints of depth.

We meet Jack, Phil and Don in Don's shabby apartment, where these old friends are hanging out and smoking weed. Jack is a profoundly cynical manipulator who needles and bullies the others; Don is a normal enough fellow; and Phil is a classic slacker. Through a series of scenes, Korder shows us how they relate to one another and to various women they encounter.

Korder does not write cartoon characters; these are all real people -- the women, too -- even if we don't get to know all of them well. Phil goes to a party, meets a woman he hasn't seen in a while and tries to get her to go away with him for a weekend. "I'm not really worth the effort," she says. Jack, who's married and has a son, flirts with a runner who has her own romantic dissatisfactions. Don meets Lisa, who appears to be an actual grown-up; her self-possession outclasses him at every turn.

Director Morrie Piersol strikes an expert balance; cutting language and nasty traits are conveyed lightly and deftly. The rotating set designed by Edwin Slipek Jr. is a bit claustrophobic, but it makes the scene changes fluid. Geno Brantley provides a fine lighting design, and Nikki Osborne's costumes are humorous reminders of the'80s. Bryan Harris' sound design, leaning heavily on Elvis Costello, is terrific.

The cast is wonderful, too, especially Joe Carlson as the scary, angry Jack. Landon Nagel is engaging as Don, showing the character's increasing readiness to grow up, and Andrew Donnelly's boyish Phil is remarkably formless (in a good way).

The women are equally strong, especially Maggie Marlin as Lisa, the waitress who wakes Don out of his frat-boy stupor. Amy Sproul, London Ray, Lauren English and Alison Haracznak do good work with their characters, and Carter Lowery is great in the too-brief role of a partygoer.

"Boys' Life" is a promising start to Richmond's fall theater season.

Susan Haubenstock is a Henrico County-based freelance writer and editor. She can be contacted at .