‘Becky’s New Car’ hits local stage

For those who have ever wished to flee the life they know, The Theater Company of Lafayette is aiming to provide just that –at least for one evening.

TCL will present Steven Dietz’s “Becky’s New Car,” starting this weekend, under Madge Montgomery’s direction.

The play is about Becky Foster, a wife and mother in her fifties who faces a mid-life crisis and meets someone who could change her life.

“She tells the story of her chance to get a fresh start at life,” Montgomery said. “She’s at that point in life where those options to change are kind of limited.”

Becky, who has been married for more than 20 years, has a good rapport with her husband but the spark is gone, Montgomery said.

Enter Prince Charming.

The wealthy widower identifies with Becky and thinks she, too, has lost her spouse but, when Becky has the chance to set him straight, she doesn’t.

Louisville resident Cathy Ode plays Becky and describes the play as a “laugh-out-loud” comedy with heart-breaking scenes; she said the play raises a lot of questions about relationships at mid-life.

“It’s a very honest story about a mid-life woman’s struggles,” Ode said. “She’s just swept away with what her life could look like.”

Montgomery feels that another relationship in the play adds “an interesting texture” to the show. Chris and Kenni, a young couple in their twenties, are involved in a budding romance and are trying to figure out who they are while attempting to break free from their families’ expectations.

Montgomery said she wouldn’t reveal how the couples identify with each other.

“There is a surprise twist in how they relate to Becky,” she said.

Ode’s daughter, Rosie Martersteck, 18, plays Kenni and Ode said it’s a thrill to work with her daughter on stage, a first for them.

One of Ode’s favorite scenes in the play is one that both couples share.

“It’s a beautiful understated moment where it feels like the generations are learning from each other,” she said.

At the end of the show, Becky makes the choice about which relationship she wants to be in, Ode said.

Montgomery said “Becky’s New Car” holds a spontaneous element in which Becky asks the audience to help her complete a task.

This component slightly unnerves Montgomery, but the cast has rehearsed a series of contingency plans she said, depending on how the audience reacts to Ode’s interaction with them.

“I think the actors will be able to handle it,” Montgomery said. “But I get nervous the play will get bogged down. But we have been practicing in different ways to prepare.”

Ode said interacting with an audience in this way is new to her and is the closest thing to stand-up comedy she’s ever done. She noted that audience members would not be embarrassed or uncomfortable in any way during the unpredictable scene.

“They become part of the story in brief but important ways,” she said.

Charles Staadecker, a Seattle realtor, commissioned “Becky’s New Car” in 2007 through Seattle’s ACT Theater.

Staadecker chose to commission a play as a gift for his wife, Benita’s, 60th birthday, Montgomery said, and they have traveled the country to attend the play’s premiers. TCL is one of the Staadeckers’ stops.

The couple will attend the Lafayette performance on Wednesday, June 22, and will hold a question-and-answer session following the play.

“Becky’s New Car” will run June 10-July 2 at The Mary Miller Theater, 300 E. Simpson St., Lafayette. The show starts at 7:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 22, and at 6 p.m. Sunday, June 12.

Tickets are $12-$15 and can be purchased online at tclstage.org or by calling the box office at 720-209-2154.