Kate Shindle, Nancy E. Carroll and Shannon Esper

Rapture, Blister, Burn is a drawing room comedy of sorts, if you are willing to expand the definition to include the patio. Rock-star academician Catherine Croll (Kate Shindle) is back in her hometown on sabbatical to care for her aging mother Alice (the inimitable Nancy E. Carroll) following the latter's recent heart attack. While facing the possibility of a lonely future when her mother dies, Catherine reconnects with her graduate school friend Gwen (Annie McNamara) and Gwen's husband Don (Timothy John Smith), who just happens to be Catherine's old flame. As the parents of two children, living the suburban good life (at least in Catherine's estimation), the Harpers represent what her life is missing. Meanwhile, stay-at-home mom Gwen laments all that she gave up and wonders if she'll ever find the kind of fulfillment that Catherine has achieved.

On the surface, Gionfriddo's play is based on a couple of age-old themes. Can women really have it all, as Feminism has promised? The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence, especially if you're wearing rose-colored glasses. The idea of swapping lives has been explored in literature, movies and a Broadway show tune, but here the themes are given a fresh twist. The two forty-somethings who are envious of each other's lives have the benefit of tapping into Alice's wisdom and personal history, as well as having to answer to the probing questions and incisive commentary offered by Gwen's twenty-one year old babysitter Avery (Shannon Esper). It is this juxtaposition of cross-generational experiences that defines Gionfriddo's thesis and sets it apart, while opening up a discussion on a wide spectrum of choices that resonates with the audience.

Catherine's summer school seminar on "The Fall of American Civilization" serves as the platform for free-wheeling debate on subjects from "torture horror and sadistic porn" to the merits of conservative activist Phyllis Schlafly, and feminist pioneer Betty Friedan. While the knowledgeable instructor has distinctly formulated opinions, her two students—Gwen and Avery—are postulating untried ideas, sometimes just throwing them out there to see what sticks. Avery's assertions in particular are often disarming and the older women are visibly taken aback by this insightful, outspoken young woman who does not think that she is a feminist. Give the playwright props for characterizing this aspect of the Zeitgeist of the Millennials.

Gionfriddo's intention was to write a play about pornography, which led to its impact on the feminist movement, which transformed into this play about relationships in what might be termed the post-feminist era. (I would argue that our society is no more post-feminist than it is post-racial since the election of Barack Obama, but that's another article.) Rapture, Blister, Burn is rife with existential angst, most of which can trace its roots to the feminist movement. Coming of age in the thick of it allowed Catherine and Gwen latitude to choose the paths they thought best suited them, only to question their choices and the life not lived more than a decade later. Alice was aware of the burgeoning movement, but ensconced in her traditional marriage and enthralled with mothering her baby girl. Unmotivated stoner Don is the poster boy for new age guys who cede their power and ambition to the strong women in their lives, simultaneously blaming and celebrating the arrival of feminism.

Her protestations to the contrary, Avery is also a product of her foremothers. She has a modern arrangement with her boyfriend, hooking up without latching onto each other. It works until she bumps up against reality when he goes away for the summer and establishes an emotional attachment with another girl. Avery is forced to re-examine her belief system and shift tactics, taking a page from Schlafly's book and listening to advice from Alice which Catherine does not always heed. Gionfriddo is less than transparent about her own point of view, presenting her characters with a range of options and allowing them (and us) to try them on for size.

In a play that is character-driven, it falls upon the actors to make the story work and the five cast members unite like fingers in a glove. They coalesce to form credible relationships and each portrays a fully-realized, individual character. For a comedy, there is ample gravitas, but a lot of the drama comes wrapped in comic lines and the timing is excellent. Does anyone do a take like Nancy Carroll? Her silent expression in response to Gwen's disclosure that Don has a pornography issue is worth the price of admission. McNamara makes Gwen's insecurity and envy funny in a way that leans toward hysteria, and she and Smith share a tired familiarity that evokes the state of their marriage. Smith is buoyant and boyish when paired with Shindle, while she literally lets her hair down with him, in contrast to her cool academician persona. Esper skillfully walks a tightrope between being the young outsider and the wise-beyond-her-years nurturer of her elders.

Set in a New England college town, Scenic Designer Alexander Dodge brings us into the familiar backyard with shingled exterior walls, wooden picnic table and woven lawn chairs, and reveals the living room of Alice's house by sliding the walls laterally. Jeff Croiter's lighting design distinguishes indoors, outdoors and various times of day. Catherine's changing styles by costume designer Mimi O'Donnell mark her story arc as she contemplates a new life. Sound design by M. L. Dogg includes eclectic musical selections pumped out during scene changes. (The title of the play is a lyric from the song "Use Once and Destroy" by Courtney Love's rock band Hole.)

Rapture, Blister, Burn is a good choice to close the Huntington's season and send everyone off to their summer activities with a chuckle on their lips and a smile on their face. If it can make you think and make you laugh, that's a winning combination in my book. It's the right play for the right time. See you in September.

Rapture, Blister, Burn performances extended through June 30 at Huntington Theatre Company, Calderwood Pavilion, Boston Center for the Arts, 527 Tremont Street, Boston, MA; Box Office 617-266-0800 or www.huntingtontheatre.org. Written by Gina Gionfriddo, Directed by Peter DuBois; Scenic Design, Alexander Dodge; Costume Design, Mimi O'Donnell; Lighting Design, Jeff Croiter; Sound Design, M.L. Dogg; Casting, Alaine Alldaffer; Production Stage Manager, Marti McIntosh; Stage Manager, Kathryn Most Cast (in order of appearance): Kate Shindle, Annie McNamara, Timothy John Smith, Nancy E. Carroll, Shannon Esper

Photo: T Charles Erickson