Harbor

For anyone who has ever dealt with the baggage of a former spouse or lover, playwright Jon Cellini's world premiere packs an emotional wallop. Inextricably linked by a teenage son, Jules and her ex-husband, Tommy, find themselves even further intertwined by the recent death of her father. Cellini's script crackles with intensity and black humor as everyone involved suffers under the weight of this former couple's unresolved issues. As this pair of clearly defined antagonists, Mary Thornton Brown and Matthew Lillard offer indelible performances as they execute Cellini's explosively crafted pas de deux.

At first glance, however, one wonders what the two characters ever had in common. Brown captures the essence of the consummate single mom, educated and upwardly mobile. Lillard is exquisitely gritty as the man-child slacker with whom she created their surprisingly well-adjusted son, Justin, played with wisdom beyond his years by Matthew Gardner. Through a series of flashbacks on designer Jeff McLaughlin's smartly acquitted set, Cellini reveals Jules' evolution while Tommy, although remarried and expecting another child, remains mired in a relatively juvenile mindset. Yet, it's Brown's excellent portrayal of her character's recurring anxiety attacks that clearly demonstrates that Tommy's volatility—another of Lillard's strong suits—has a virtually unbreakable hold on her mind and heart. She simply cannot say goodbye.

Rounding out this perfect storm of first-rate playwriting and performances under Cellini's own sure-handed direction are Luka Lyman and P.J. Marino as DeeDee and Ronnie, Jules' sister and brother-in-law. With complete conviction, Lyman and Marino so perfectly complement one another that it's hard to imagine them not being a real-life couple. Grinnell Morris has a number of fine scenes as Jules' annoyingly liberal, wannabe second husband. Likewise, Zibby Allen reveals Tommy's new wife, a presumably airheaded Southern belle, to be so much more as she struggles to make sense of the powder keg into which she has been thrust. On the night reviewed, John C. McLaughlin brought a stoic strength to the role of Jules' father in flashback scenes.

Presented by and at The Big Victory, 3326 W. Victory Blvd., Burbank. Oct. 27-Dec. 3. Thu.-Sat., 8 p.m. (818) 841-5421. www.thevictorytheatrecenter.org.