Going Long

We Won't Get Into That Story ...

Running Time: 1 hr, 30 min

Getting married is a scary business to be sure, but it's particularly scary when you're marrying the biggest scumball on the planet, as Leslie Worthington is. Her fiancé Greg Parker is prone to endearing lines like, "Are you on your period? You know that grosses me out." and "Don't try to be cute. It doesn't work for you." Like a gender-reversed version of My Best Friend's Wedding, Kara L. Samson's We Won't Get Into That Story -- is a meditation on both the emotional hell that breaks loose around the tying of the knot and the complex nature of platonic friendship between the sexes.

As Leslie's wedding day approaches, her best guy friend Baxter Aaron looms appealingly on the horizon, while her proudly promiscuous best girl friend, Stacie "I'm having sex with the guy at the Mattress King!" Hallenbeck, complains of bridesmaid dress "butt-bows" and seconds Baxter's concerns that this Greg guy might not be the ideal mate. Thrown into the mix are Leslie's insane, wedding-addled mother Lucinda and a host of hideous ex-boyfriends who skulk through Leslie's pre-wedding dreams.

The extreme ickiness of every one of these former lovers makes Leslie's tolerance for Greg slightly more plausible. One ex uses the classy line: "Oh, Leslie -- like lesbian." Another scolds her for drinking tequila: It's not a "woman's drink." These men try to get her drunk and into bed, put her down, and are, in general, unappealing jerks. Throughout it all, Leslie remains self-destructively indecisive. This simpiness is occasionally painful to watch, though Jamie McNatt is a delight and with this character shows off her tremendous versatility (she will be almost unrecognizable to those who know her from The Collection). Overall, the show offers about the same level of insight into love and marriage as its Julia Roberts counterpart (which is a little); what stands out is Samson's witty depiction of the profound depths to which the male animal can sink. (Feb 3, Thu, 5:30pm; Feb 4, Fri, 6:45pm; Feb 5, Sat, noon. $5.)