NEW YORK—Those who seem at first glance to be polar opposites can have more in common than they think. This is the central idea of Tim Marriott and Jeff Stolzer’s thought-provoking two-person comedy, “A Special Relationship,” part of the “Brits Off Broadway” series at 59E59 Theaters.
Building a Friendship
In a secluded garden behind a home in the English countryside, Montgomery “Monty” Brine (Tim Marriott) and Pete Esposito (Brian Dykstra) have been left to themselves by their respective wives and families to set up a tent for the upcoming wedding reception of Monty’s daughter and Pete’s son. Monty, a retired officer in the British Army, whose home this is, is rather reserved and a full believer in the “stiff upper lip” tradition. Pete, a former plumber from New Jersey, is the quintessential “ugly American”: loud, boisterous, and a hugger, all things Monty is not.The show quickly lives up to its billing of “a transatlantic comedy.” Monty and Pete’s attempt to have a simple conversation is impeded by the different terminologies used in America and England—water closet, cupboard, private school and gazebo among them. It soon becoming a struggle for each to understand what the other is saying.
