THE MARRIAGE ZONE by Carol Kaufman Segal

            Beth and Cal are a middle-aged couple with a teen-age son Ron.  Who knows how long they have been married?  I would venture to say maybe around twenty years or so.  Long enough, anyway, for the honeymoon to be over, and when we meet them, it appears obvious that is a good guess. 

            The family has been living in the same house all of these years and Beth thinks it is time to move upward, even though it will put a strain on their finances.  After much discussion (and arguing),  Cal has relented, and their home now has a real estate agent’s “For Sale” sign in front of it. 

            We find Beth and Cal having their usual argument when they are interrupted by a knock at the door.  When Beth opens the door, she discovers a young couple who ask if they could see the house since they are planning to get married soon and it appears to be just what they would like for their first home.  Even though their agent is not there, Beth and Cal feel okay about letting them look around. 

            As the two couples converse, Beth and Cal are surprised to discover they have a lot in common with Skip and Ellie when an elderly couple appear at the door asking to see the house.  Mike and Liz are not interested in buying; they are simply “nosey” because as they explain to Beth and Cal, they lived in the house years ago when they were first married.

            As the play ensues, the obvious occurs when the three couples finally realize that they are all the same people in different stages of life (thus The Marriage Zone)!  Will this encounter benefit the life of any one of them in this unusual circumstance?

            The Marriage Zone is the fourth in a series of comedies written by playwright and director Jeff Gould that deal with relationships between men and women.  Though it is an unlikely situation told with many laughs, this plot might be an eye opener for some people.  A double cast performs the roles that include Anne Leighton/Rene Ashton (Beth), Jeff  Pride/Kenny Johnston (Cal), Jacee Jule/Dawn Joyal (Liz), Alex Hyde-White/Mark Sande (Mike)), Megan Barker/Britt Rose (Ellie), Ryan Cargill/Liam Donafee (Skip), and Ciaran Brown/Zach Louis (Ryan).

            The Marriage Zone plays Fridays and Saturdays at 8 PM, and Sundays at 3 PM, at the Secret Rose Theatre, 11246 Magnolia Blvd., North Hollywood, through August 27.  Reservations are available by calling (323) 960-7784, or for online ticketing go to www.Plays411.com/marriagezone.