We’re all a little out of whack these days. This off-kilter world seems hell-bent on destroying itself, through war, hatred, mass destruction and, don’t forget, global warming. Frank Salisbury’s Balancing Act at the Falcon Theatre is a perfect foil for all the negativity. Directed by Adam Carl, this two-person box-set play is a throwback to a purer era.

Taking place in what appears to be the late `60s (set and costume by Keith Mitchell and Denitsa Bliznakova, respectively) Balancing Act transports us to a time when life seemed more innocent, a time when a woman parading about in a full slip was risque. In addition to being fully loaded with laughs, Salisbury’s writing is even more palatable in that it also gives the actors an opportunity to fill in the blanks. The laughs are written in, yes, but so is the opportunity to expand on those laughs, with physical comedy and impeccable timing. Richard Gilliland, of 24 and Joan of Arcadia, and Yeardley Smith, the voice of Lisa Simpson on The Simpsons, relish the opportunity to do so.

Eugene Ormsby (Gilliland) is found getting ready to leave for what appears to be a business trip. But it is clear he has something to hide. Beth Washburn (Smith), the pinched and prudish assistant rings his bell. From the moment she enters, it’s clear she has an agenda, or two. For one, the books have come up short and she wants to know why, and she won’t leave until she gets it resolved. But she’s also driven by her deeply rooted yearning to be more than mousy. She did after all give up her usual night at home with mom to go unescorted to a relatively strange man’s apartment. An underling to this account exec, they’d not met before. But it’s likely that someone as compulsively obsessed with detail as Beth also knows well and good this executive is single. This tightly wound prig takes little time to take off her hat, her coat, her glasses, eventually getting down to that risque full slip.

Beth figures out that it is indeed Eugene who is the embezzler, and soon realizes this knowledge puts her in danger. It becomes survival of the fittest as Eugene must come up with a way to protect himself, while Beth’s every neuron is suddenly afire. Her boring life has finally become interesting and she’s ready to make the best of it. She now has an excuse, for once in her life, to let loose her bad girl side. But while his corrupt ways give her license to go wild, her goodness strikes a chord in him.

Gilliland and Smith together make the script richer by adding intensity to every slight intention the characters are driven by. It’s especially fun to see Smith’s gears constantly shifting as she revs up each motive for her actions. When she flips her feet up onto the couch, it is with such specificity, you gotta love her. The two characters are perfectly cast in Smith and Gilliland, as the two actors are so diametrically opposed to each other. Smith, so known for her (high-pitched) voice work, is a captivating, surprisingly physical, comedienne. She’s wonderfully adorable and is able to find a laugh in lines like "No" or "Well," with just a pause, a look, or a particular stance. Her counterweight is the gravelly baritone, the droll delivery of Gilliland. As even-handedly directed by Carl, the two solid actors are precisely choreographed in their cat and mouse game. Together they are the salt and pepper, the Yin and Yang, the sugar and spice, and it all makes for everything nice, which is sometimes just what we need after a long, hard day.

Balancing Act

At the Falcon Theatre

4252 Riverside Dr.

Burbank, CA

Through May 6^th, 2007

Tues. thru Sat. at 8pm, Sun. at 4pm

Tickets from $25.00-$37.50

Reservations: 818-955-8101, info at www.FalconTheatre.com

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