In Coronado, the first play by novelist Dennis (Mystic River) Lehane, one character sums up his attitude toward male-female relationships by proclaiming, "They fuck us so we'll pay the electric." Another character demeans her former lover ("You stuck your dick in my mouth because you felt ancillary? Oh, boo hoo!"), while a father commemorates his grown son's release from prison by giving him drugs and a hooker. Set in a nameless bar somewhere in the rural west, Coronado tells the tale of three seemingly unrelated twosomes: a woman and her former psychiatrist (and, regrettably, her former lover); a young couple in the midst of an illicit affair; and a father and son who are preoccupied with a stolen diamond. Lehane's dramatic thriller premiered in New York City in December; American Stage produces a limited engagement beginning this Wednesday. Todd Olson directs. April 26-30, 7:30 p.m. Wed.-Thurs., 8 p.m. Fri., 3 and 8 p.m. Sat., 3 p.m. Sun., 211 Third St. N., St. Petersburg, $25 general admission/$10 students rush tickets 30 minutes prior to curtain, 727-823-7529, www.americanstage.org.
This article appears in Apr 19-25, 2006.
