"The Detective" is an Edward Albee-esque look at the lengths we go to maintain secrets and what happens when we are pushed against the wall. The tension between the two leads is palpable and kicks the play into gear with force.

Do we ever truly know one another? Do we really want to? What are the consequences of knowing the truth? That's the fulcrum of this play. A thrilling prize fight between a (barely) married couple that briefly turns into a three-way dance and then returns to the couple for a cathartic conclusion. The sly commentary on the monotony of a medium that's sprinkled throughout only serves to heighten the fact that one perhaps doesn't quite know how this is going to end. Sometimes, perhaps, it's better not to know. Intriguing deduction awaits. An impressive play, to be sure.

The shows are always the same. The performances. The protagonists.

Usually. Soltero-Brown's play, however, pulses with an enthralling, caustic energy. Lies and secrets can certainly push a marriage to the brink of extinction, but less is mentioned how they morph the participants. They change us over time, rob us of the people we were or might've been, to the point where nothing feels real except the exasperation. How do you save that? Can you? There's echoes of George and Martha in Otto and Casey's strained relationship. And it's delicious fun. I would love to see (and hear) this live.