BETC production of Michael Hollinger’s clever comedy brought to life with a formidable cast

The Boulder Ensemble Theatre Company (BETC) did a staged reading of Hope and Gravity in the summer of 2023 that made me hope it would come back in a full production. That day is here, with Michael Hollinger’s clever, layered comedy now up at the Denver Savoy.

Returning cast members that made the reading so impactful include Jason Maxwell, Emma Messenger and Michael Morgan. They’re joined by Matt Zambrano and San Francisco-based actor Bekah Lynn Broas. It’s a powerful lineup, well directed by Josh Hartwell — who also helmed the original reading.

Hollinger’s script is a package unwrapped in (roughly) reverse order, with a horrific elevator accident at the nexus of multiple character interconnections. With the exception of Zambrano, each actor plays two roles as the story unfolds in nine scenes named and numbered in the program.

Tina Anderson’s set is relatively simple, with the suggestion of an elevator upstage displaying some low-tech floor indicator lights. Scene changes move fast, with the actors pitching in to move the transitions along. The result is a fast-paced comedy that asks a lot of the audience in terms of keeping up but ultimately delivers on the funny as well as some emotionally charged revelations.

Hope and Gravity is as much a series of personality sketches as it is a stage comedy. Hollinger’s characters are nicely fleshed out, with some genuinely wacky and others made so by circumstance. One storyline is about Hal (Maxwell) and Tanya (Messenger) trying to jump through the hoops of IVF. The expected jokes about “the sample” give Maxwell plenty to work with, but he amps it up even more with a larger-than-life performance. With his booming voice and bold stage presence, he’s always strong at playing caricature.

Emma Messenger and Jason Maxwell as Nan and Hal in ‘Hope & Gravity.’ | Photo: Michael Ensminger Photography

Here, Maxwell has a field day, not only with Hal but with his other character, a pathologically lying dentist. At a self-help conference to confront his problem, he runs into Barb (Broas), who’s at the same hotel for another such conference to confront a crippling phobia. This leads to the funniest scene in the play where she and Maxwell …

I can’t give it away, but the scene brings down the house as the two deploy an encyclopedia’s worth of priceless facial expressions and physical gags. Broas is a welcome addition to the Colorado stage, showing not only great comedic chops but also a grab-bag of quirks that make her two characters really stand out.

Messenger juggles the more serious Tanya with batty Nan. She sees a lot more action as the school secretary having an ill-advised fling with Maxwell’s dentist (the busy guy). Wheeling out some kind of high-pitched New York accent, Messenger’s a hoot as she tries to wrangle the lascivious Hal along with her husband, Marty.

Morgan has the two most disparate characters to portray, with Marty as a Fred Flintstone-y elevator repairman in a key role and Douglas, a washed-up poet and professor. Morgan sells both of them well, aided by a switch from flannel shirt to blazer and a pair of professorial specs. Douglas’s students include similarly unproductive poet Steve (an earnest Zambrano) and the prolific Jill (Broas).

Got all that?

Hartwell, who’s worked with Hollinger on two previous projects, clearly has Hope & Gravity dialed in. With a stellar cast to work with, his direction is impeccably tight as he manages the traffic control between the scenes and the mélange of goofballs that drive the story.

Amid the laughter, Hollinger’s script still makes plenty of room for complex characters — most of who carry some degree of sadness. The nine lives depicted in Hope & Gravity verge on pathetic in some places — just people trying to make it through the day amid the landmines and curveballs we all confront. The “hope” is always there, as is the gravity not just related to the accident but in the seriousness of their situations despite all the levity.

The fun is in trying to keep track of who’s who while learning as the play unfolds that the sequence of events is anything but linear. It makes for an entertaining evening made even more so by the offer of a free drink from the Savoy’s classy bar as well as some dessert. What’s not to like? And if you miss it at the Savoy, the show will be at the Boulder Nomad Playhouse Feb. 21-23.