Oh, That Wily Snake!

I'm not sure there's one line of dialogue in "Oh, That Wily Snake!" that can be taken literally. Martin Dockery's two-hander is all metaphor all the time and may be a reverse parable on original sin—or it may just as possibly not be. That said, it's consistently diverting, and if you don't mind not being able to pin down Dockery's exact intent you'll probably have a fine time.

The wily snake is Edmund (Dockery), who has arrived on the doorstep of his friend and possible paramour Edith (Vanessa Quesnelle) claiming unawareness that she's engaged to and living with Marcel, whom we never see and who happens to be 10 feet tall. Is that a metaphor for how Edith idolizes him and/or how insignificant Edmund feels compared to him? Maybe. Edmund also just happens to have brought along his bed, which just happens to fly, and entreats Edith to take "a little spin" with him.

Their back-and-forth is about everything but what's actually going on between them and also involves multiple references to Aruba, which I'll take to be a simile for sex. Suffice it to say that their flying mattress does eventually make it to Aruba, aided by Edith's ingestion of a root vegetable that behaves a lot like Ecstasy and results in absurdist tragedy.

Is Dockery spinning an Adam and Eve–like fable in which man is tempter and woman (mostly) innocent victim and suggesting that extracurricular sex can have dire unintended consequences? Could be. At any rate, Dockery's gangly Everyman appeal, Quesnelle's plain-Jane beauty, and their obvious delight in playing off each other go a long way toward selling it.

The tiny playing space at Under St. Marks keeps the proceedings intimate and immediate, despite a clanking heating system that drowns out a few lines. At less than an hour, not only does "Snake" not wear out its welcome, but I think it's a good date show—one that would leave a couple with plenty of time and much to discuss over coffee.

Presented by Horse Trade Theater Group at Under St. Marks, 94 St. Marks Place, NYC. Jan. 26–Feb. 10. Thu.–Sat., 8 p.m. (212) 868-4444 or www.smarttix.com.