Interplayers’ ‘Infinite Ache’ tells story of love, time passing

Boy meets girl. Boy and girl go out on a ho-hum first date. Slightly inebriated girl goes back to boy’s apartment, falls asleep, then wakes up and realizes 50 years have gone by.

This is just the beginning of David Schulner’s romantic drama/comedy “An Infinite Ache,” which opens tonight at Interplayers Professional Resident Theatre.

The one-act play takes its title from the final line of Pablo Neruda’s poem, “Body of a Woman,” and reflects on the multitude of directions one’s life can take. It also presents a journey through love and time – one that is heartfelt, tear-jerking, even comical at times – and as one New York Times theater critic points out, “is easy to believe.”

It focuses on two lonesome, Los Angeles 20-somethings – Charles (Todd Kehne), a Jewish man, and Hope (Yvonne Same), an Asian woman – as they experience love, parenthood, tragedy and deal with other life trials and tribulations.

“It’s poetic. I love the style, the transitions – the way that they move from one moment to the next,” said director Marianne McLaughlin, who was enthralled by Schulner’s lyrical script.

Although McLaughlin thoroughly enjoyed directing the Spokane Civic Theatre’s productions of Wendy Wasserstein’s “The Sister’s Rosenweig” last spring, and the honky-tonk musical, “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas” this season, she is especially thrilled to direct this show, which she describes as both a “jewel” and a challenge.

Kehne and Same are the play’s sole characters. Kehne played Mark Cohen in Lake City Playhouse’s recent production of “Rent” and previously was Arnold Wiggins in Interplayers’ 2011 production of “The Boys Next Door.” Same portrayed Marcy Park in both the Coeur d’Alene Summer Theatre and national touring productions of the musical comedy, “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.” Same also participated in an actors workshop with Angel Desai, the actress who played Hope in the 2002 original production of “An Infinite Ache” in New Haven, Conn.