Couples’ Sexual Discontent at Heart of Sunny ‘Vacation’

Vacations are for fun in the sun and bedroom, according to one character inMonica Trasandes’ “Vacation,” a Playwrights 6 production at the Hudson Avenue Theatre. But in this lightweight, insightful comedy, the couples--one lesbian and one straight--are trapped in sexual malaise.

Maria (Karen Michael) and her life partner-business partner Jenny (Jill Remez) are suffering from “Lesbian Bed Death.” Jenny reassures Maria, “I love you more than sex,” and suggests an open relationship for Maria’s sake.

Alston (Graham Galloway) attempts to romance his wife, Katherine (Carol Shannon). But she’s more excited about her cell-phone conversations with her partner, a man with whom Alston believes she’s having an affair.

The rejected twosome, Alston and Maria, meet, get sloshed and have a lustful quickie. But it’s a safe affair. Maria isn’t questioning her sexual orientation, and both are still very much in love with their respective partners.

In this 90-minute slice of life, Trasandes doesn’t explore all the roadblocks of this foursome to happy couplehood, so we also don’t get all of the answers. We do get some snappy lines and a disconcertingly unnecessary intermission. This play could easily have breezed by as a one-act.

Director John Gidcomb keeps the proceedings as sunny as the setting, Cabo San Lucas. The uncredited set design relies on cheery colors.

The foursome must, of course, leave this bright paradise for their humdrum lives. They are last seen on their return flight home--one unfaithful partner uneasily thankful for things left unsaid and one groveling under the misery of having told.

Who said vacations were for relaxation?

* “Vacation,” Hudson Avenue Theatre, 6537 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood. Sundays, 3 p.m.; March 3, 8 p.m. Ends March 4. $15. (323) 666-6086. Running time: 1 hour, 35 minutes.