‘Morphic’: Of Human Bonds in the ‘90s

Cleome (Lea Floden) has never had her heart broken. “You can’t hit a moving target,” she comments wryly to her best friend, Alice (Francesca Rollins). Cleome finds a worthy lover-adversary in Wallace (Christopher Grove), an aspiring novelist who is also leery of emotional commitment.

Katherine Burger’s “Morphic Resonance” at the Matrix is a facile, funny yet moving drama that examines the complicated emotional stages of a contemporary relationship. Cleome believes in “morphic resonance,” a sort of universally shared psychic link informing all human endeavor. It’s one-on-one interactions that Cleome finds difficult, even, and especially, with her wealthy but repressed daddy (John C. McLaughlin). Atavistically, Wallace equates courtship with conquest. The more emotionally available Cleome becomes, the less thrill Wallace has in the “hunt.”

By contrast, Alice and Wallace’s best friend, Jim (James DuMont), who meet and fall in love, can’t be bothered with nuances. Raw-boned Jim and refined Alice seem an unlikely pair. However, Alice’s diagnosis of cancer distills their relationship to its essence, a lovely aroma that fades all too soon.

Director Dan Bonnell, taking the reins after a recent run at the Eclectic Company, strikes the right tone with Burger’s intellectually challenging, sometimes surreal play. A double-date between the couples becomes a funny, fast variation of musical chairs. Sexy verbal byplay segues into droll dance sequences. Only occasionally is the breezy inventiveness strained: Putting Daddy on roller skates during a heart-to-heart with Alice seems more puerile than playful.

Burger’s drama veers alarmingly close to melodrama, but salubriously straightforward performances ensure against mawkishness. With humor and grace, the actors progress from initial glibness to a deep and resonant denouement.

* “Morphic Resonance,” Matrix Theatre, 7656 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles. Thursdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 7 p.m. Ends Nov. 9. $20. (213) 658-4030. Running time: 2 hours.