Last Chance for 'Mercury Fur,' Ringwald's Excellent – if Controversial – Play

The Who Wants Cake? theater company has really outdone itself this time. Mercury Fur, a controversial 2005 play by British playwright Philip Ridley, is in its final weekend at Woodward's (and then Monday), and I have but three words for you – Go. See. It. (Remaining shows are at 8 p.m. Saturday, 3 p.m. Easter Sunday, and 8 p.m. Monday.)

Now, the subject matter is admittedly grim. In an apocalyptic London (not "post-apocalyptic" as the apocalypse dawns during the play), brothers Elliot and Darren are doing the unthinkable to survive. Without giving anything away, let's just say they fulfill sicko fantasies, not entirely in a sexual manner and not without more than a little violence.

The play was controversial when it premiered four years ago at England's Plymouth Theatre Royal. Audiences walked out. Critics called it "degraded." But really, I don't know what all the fuss is about. None of the so-called degradation is actually shown onstage, it's only referred to. And frankly, it's no worse than, say, the movie Se7en.

Frankly, though, the material could draw lesser companies to put this play on just to gain notoriety, and the results would be horrific. Because the dialogue – which pingpongs between verbal abuse, charming jokes, disgusting reminiscences and touching human interactions – could easily go awry with less-than-stellar actors.

Not so here. The eight actors in Mercury Fur are beyond amazing. (And, sorry if this sounds pompous, but I've seen John Malcovich, John Turturro, Al Pacino, Marisa Tomei, Helen Hunt, Bernadette Peters and the original cast of Rent perform on Broadway, so I know from amazing.)

Real-life brothers Jon and Nico Ager play Elliot and Darren, respectively, and made some truly horrific subject matter actually touching because of the genuine love you can feel between the two of them. On a more technical note, their working-class British accents (which can be cringe-inducing if not done with the utmost precision) were spot on.

Alex D. Hill was touching as as spastic friend of Darren's who gets turned into a pawn of their horrible game. Vince Kelley was simply charming as Elliot's cross-dressing girlfriend, Lola. Patrick O'Connor Cronin and David Legato scared me, as they should have, as crime lord Spinx and the sicko Party Guest, respectively. And Cassandra McCarthy dazzled the crowd, garnering some of the play's only laughs with her performance as the blind, lipstick-smeared Duchess.

Even Scott Wilding, as the drugged Party Piece, wowed without saying a word.

But actors are nothing without the crew. And Mercury Fur was so tight in its direction (by Joe Plambeck) and so perfectly on pitch with its set design (by Katie Orwig) and costume design, that it truly was the best local production I've seen in years.

Whatever your plans are for this weekend, cancel them. And go see this play. To tweak a theater cliché: You'll laugh, you'll cringe, you'll thank me.