July 7-13, 2005

artpicks

Rubber Soul

theater

The condom broke, now young Charlotte is pregnant. Thankfully, she's surrounded by people who care, even if they're imperfect — her prying yet supportive mother, her dim-witted yet earnest boyfriend, and her best bud, Kat. Trojan Wars, an irreverent comedy written by Gin Hobbs, who penned 2003's Hands Across Veronica, and directed by Deborah Seif, portrays the prenatal plight of an expecting teen.

"Hobbs takes somewhat devastating situations and makes them human by infusing them with comedy," says Jessica Graham, co-artistic director and co-founder, with Kirsten Quinn, of Theater Catalyst's Eternal Spiral Project. "You can see people saying and doing these things."

In one scene, explains Graham, Charlotte (Jennifer Kulick) tells her boyfriend, Billy (Dylan Clements), she's pregnant when he arrives at her house for a tryst. Despite the news, they decide to engage in sex, but Billy must explain why he arrived unprotected: Anticipating the moment they'd be alone, he wore a condom all day long — in school, during a basketball game, during the walk to her house. Somewhere in between, the rubber fell off. Befuddled by his brainlessness, Charlotte explains she'd better get an abortion, lest her child inherit his stupidity.

Trojan Wars, Thu.-Sat., July 7-9, 8 p.m.; Sun., July 10, 2 p.m.; Wed., July 13, 8 p.m.; through July 31, $10-$20, Second Stage at the Adrienne, 2030 Sansom St., 215-563-4330, www.theatercatalyst.org.

—Karen Williams