The Times from Munster, Indiana • 48

F-6 Friday, July 10. 1992 Theater TTMf I. VIES Once in Doubt' offers scorching acting, obscure plot their emotions at full tilt. One moment they are shrieking and cursing and then, with the flick of some psychological switch, they cling to process and the artist's inspiration, not to mention male-female relationships. Good luck to viewers who insist on picking through the The fascination of the show is entirely in the acting.

Morton and Petersen go at each other with machine-gun volleys of scorching language. They come together and break apart, snarling and soothing, obscene and endearing. And when Gerry Becker joins the twosome for the last act, he falls into the verbal detonations without skipping a beat. Review By DAN ZEFF Copley News Service CHICAGO Say this for "Once in Doubt" at the Remains Theatre. It gives William Petersen, Amy Morton, and Gerry Becker the opportunity to deliver three sensational performances.

That may be the only positive thing to say about the play, but it's enough to recommend a visit to the theater. The drama is a short (less than 80 minutes of playing time) excursion into a relentless love-hate relationship between Harry and Flo, who may be married or just long-time lovers. Either way they get on each other's nerves. The action takes place in Harry's studio, where he is intently creating an abstract expressionist collage he punctuates with blood splattered from his own veins (the squirting blood mercifully is pantomimed). Throughout the play the couple bare the play insupportably pretentious and pointless.

Not much can be done to disguise the obscurity of the activity on stage. Morton in particular is a riveting figure, with her elegant pale beauty perfectly wrapped in a striking black dress. But Petersen and Becker give as good as they get in this bizarre triangle. The trio keep the script taut and still extract a good deal of humor from the dialogue. So even when everything they say seems arbitrary and stilted they grab us with the sheer force of their acting.

As to the meaning of the title "Once in Doubt," I haven't a clue. "Once in Doubt" runs through Aug. 16 at the Remains Theatre, 1800 N. Clybourn Ave. Performances are Wednesday through Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 5:30 p.m.

and 9 p.m., and Sunday at 3:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. Tickets are $10, $17.50, and $20. For reservations, call (312) 335-9800. script for mean- ings.

For me, the fascination of the show is entirely in the acting. Morton and Petersen go at each other with machine-gun volleys of scorching language. They come together and break apart, snarling and soothing, obscene and endearing. And when Gerry Becker joins the twosome for the last act, he falls in-, to the verbal detonations without skipping a beat. Playwright Barry directs the Remains production, so this staging is his vision of the play.

He must be thrilled with the performances. Acting that is less intense and assured would make gether in passion. There is no plot and we are given virtually no background about either character. But if this is a typical evening at home for Harry and Flo, it's a miracle they haven't burned each other out or at least collapsed with terminal laryngitis. After one act of this frenzy a twerpy neighbor enters the studio to check out all die shouting.

The neighbor immediately becomes enmeshed in the couple's mind games, including seducing Flo with Harry's encouragement and Flo's complicity. At the final blackout the neighbor is wildly painting a back wall in bright red smears while life goes on for Harry and Flo. The play doesn't end. It just ceases. For audiences with a graduate student mentality, it will be easy to identify who playwright Raymond J.

Barry used as dramaturgical role models. The hellacious verbal jousting between Harry and Flo come out of Edward Al-bee's "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" The psychological power plays between Harry and Flo and staccato bursts of dialogue are prime Harold Pinter. Presumably Barry has something personal to say about the creative rr HE Wed. 7-9 FREE anniversaries zsT sssssS Parties Country Western Dance Lesson UNITY BANQUET featuring 4760 I Inmimm.l "Southw ind" Wednesday, Friday Saturday Kited CENTER Live MteiTaiiimein Br Pmintrv Wpetprn Pniintrv Family Style Package Plan (M 1 A A TUT tk AA 4135 Calumet Ave Hammond, IN (219) 931-7000 Join Our DJ Ruddy Goettsch Every Friday Saturday Night 1 per person includes: 4 Hour Open Bar Bartenders Hall Rental ChamDaene for Head Table 3 Meat Familv Stvle Kamikaze Shots fl Featuring NO COVER CHARGE 1 Dinner Cloth Linen Round Tables Padded Fine Dining in a Pleasant Family Atmosphere. Phair WyMV Parnnpt Danrp Rlnnr Fntlv Carpeted Dining Area Air Conditioned Hall Taxesi We can serve groups of 25 to 600 4 Knights Hall 25-100 Grand Hall 100-600 nmsnrs or toiumous uniry council us 10 e.

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