At Miners Alley, a fresh look at aging in Cary Crim’s comedic drama ‘Morning After Grace’

Morning After Grace by Carey Crim is a bittersweet play about a 70-year-old man and a 60-something woman who have a fling that gets complicated. A next-door neighbor joins that aftermath, further complicating relationships while also enhancing them.

Like Jukebox for the Algonquin, also staged at MAPAC last season, Morning After Grace is another play previously featured at Jeff Daniels Purple Rose Theater in Michigan. Also like Jukebox, Morning After Grace explores weighty themes surrounding aging as a platform to examine sex, love and sexual orientation.

Though these are familiar subjects, this production isn’t trite and doesn’t use worn-out stereotypes. Yes, characters shuffle around with hip pain, talk about sagging skin and complain about incontinence. Yes, it’s set in a Florida retirement community. What’s new is how vibrantly real these characters are; you have friends like them.

Ollie, played by Dwayne Carrington, seems especially unique. He’s a nearly 70-year-old gay man who hasn’t come out to his 90-year-old father. Now, in his older age, he is forced to do so – something he’s spent a lifetime avoiding.

It’s not just Ollie – Abigail (Tammy Meneghini) and Angus (Kevin Hart) come to life with distinct foibles and gifts. I don’t think it’s giving anything away to say that Abigail has three master’s degrees because, as she admits, she seeks knowledge when depressed or anxious. Angus isn’t just a cranky old man; he’s funny and cares about the world around him.

Tammy Meneghini and Kevin Hart in ‘Morning After Grace.’ | Photo: McLeod9 Creative

Strong script and direction

Starting with an excellent script certainly makes directing easier, but under Abby Apple Boes’ mindful direction, this play flourishes. Smart decisions at every moment make it a winner.

Because these characters face complex issues and trauma, actors get to show their dramatic chops. It’s a treat to see some of the Denver and Boulder area’s finest performers together on stage: Meneghini, Hart and Carrington. Each makes the audience laugh and tear up, delivering lines with truth and authority.

Boes and the team make great choices about lighting, sound and set design to support the actors. The lighting was especially effective when depicting three days passing, with what seemed like sunlight streaming through windows, giving way to moonlight. That effect allows Hart, curled into a near-fetal position without moving, to show overwhelming grief. It was a particularly powerful moment made more impactful by Vance McKenzie’s lighting design.

Jonathan Scott-McKean’s set is solid, showing a cozy beach community home that looks like just about any Florida condo, complete with starfish and beach artwork. John Hauser’s sound design was flawless from beginning to end; every actor could be heard clearly.

Audience members under 50 might not find this comedic drama as touching and relatable as people 50 and above. As a Gen Xer in my mid-50s, I was delighted by this play. Nuanced in every moment and full of surprises and second chances, this production is fantastic. And if you loved Jukebox, you may want to add this to your must-see list.