Pink Champagne With Uprooted and MGAC at 10th Street

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Neil Havenâ�euro;s work has been an interesting and uneven mix. From the heartwarming holiday show Who Killed Santa? to a cleverly-constructed comedy about an agoraphobic elevator operator, Havenâ�euro;s work has an enjoyable energy about it. My wife and I still occasionally talk about a comic short he wrote for Pink Banana Theatre featuring a group of ducks in a fountain in Las Vegas.

Havenâ�euro;s latest is a domestic comedy the appears to be willing to go beyond the traditional scope of the genre that has been so over-done in TV sitcoms over the years. Pink Champaigne stars Jonathan Kishline as Donaldâ�euro;�”a â man who hasnâ�euro;t been on terribly good terms with his conservative son Gene (played by John Maclay) since he came out of the closet and split with Geneâ�euro;s mother. Donald and his husband Patrick (played by T. Stacy Hicks) are surprised to receive a visit from their seventeen year-old grandson Joey (Ari Shapiro.) Evidently, Joey announces that he is gay as well and would like to live with his grandparents, prompting a visit from Gene and his wife Corrine (played by Marti Gobel.)

The premise sounds interesting enough. And with a cast that is this good, there really isnâ�euro;t any doubt that this is going to be a fun show. Co-presented by Uprooted Theatre,â Pink Champaigne takes the intimate space of the Tenth Street Theatreâ May 20^th- June 5^th. For reservations, call 414-383-3727.