Theater Review : ‘Butterflies’ Fails to Fully Metamorphose

The North Coast Repertory Theatre production of “Apocalyptic Butterflies” has problems and promise--like the marriage it describes.

Playwright Wendy MacLeod crafts a predictable tale of a husband and wife whose marriage frays under the stress of a new baby who is seven weeks old at Christmastime when the play begins.

The Chicago Tribune named a 1988 production of MacLeod’s play one of the 10 best of that year. It also has been produced at the Yale Repertory Theatre in New Haven, Conn., and at INTAR in New York.

One can see a hint of what might have been here in the witty exchanges and occasionally insightful observations.

Unfortunately, much potential is obscured by the central performance of Mark Taylor as the husband, Hank Tater. Under Vinny Ferrelli’s heavy-handed direction, Taylor goes from Macho Man in the first act to Sensitive Man quicker than Clark Kent turning into Superman.

The biggest problem with his performance lies in the penultimate scene, when we need to believe in his final, desperate attempt to win his wife back. Here, it seemed as if he was putting her on.

Tracey McNeil turns in competent but unexciting work as Muriel. The supporting actors make the show worth watching, particularly Annette Murphy as Trudi, the zanily wise Other Woman. With her dingy manner and dead-on deadpan comic timing, Murphy is at her best comforting Hank by telling him he is a permanent blip on her timeline.

Pat DiMeo turns in a warm and wise performance as Francine Tater, Hank’s mother, who sees the marriage foundering and tries to set it right. Jack Becker is wonderfully goofy as Dick Tater, the father who lives in a mobile home so he will have money to spend on totem poles and painted butterflies.

Resident designer Marty Burnett turns in another terrific set: Hank and Muriel’s kitchen borders a motel room with a giant vertical bed for Hank and Trudi’s scene, later replaced by a field of snow.

At its best, the play offers wise words--mostly from the mouths of Hank’s parents and Trudi. Love, his mother tells him, is his father using the chart on the Whitman Sampler to remove all the chocolates she doesn’t like. Life, his father explains, is doing things--like buying totem poles and carved butterflies--because they have spiritual value and they make people smile.

If only the central characters were as funny or compelling.

* “Apocalyptic Butterflies,” North Coast Repertory Theatre, 987-D Lomas Santa Fe Drive, Solana Beach. Thursdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 2 and 7 p.m. Ends Sept. 18. $12-$16. (619) 481-1055. Running time: 1 hour, 30 minutes. Mark Taylor: Hank Tater

Tracey McNeil: Muriel Tater

Pat DiMeo: Francine Tater

Jack Becker: Dick Tater

Annette Murphy: Trudi

A North Coast Repertory Theatre production. Directed by Vinny Ferrelli. Sets: Marty Burnett. Lights: Samantha Terzis. Sound: Ferrelli. Costumes: Stacey Rae. Stage manager: Wendy Freeman.