Sweet and fun. I was fortunate to see a live performance of this play and was struck by the layered physicality of two awkward, mature men rehearsing a love scene, how the painstaking direction of their pretended passion was necessary but excruciating but funny but also not funny at all -- all at the same time. The final moments are satisfying and earned, and the whole experience was a crowd pleaser. Deserving of many productions.

If there is a lesson to be learned from these moments with Charlie and Wallace, it is that Scott Sickles is the master par excellence of subtext and subliminal layering. These two actors rehearsing their love scene for a film have done everything they can to convince each other and themselves that this is just acting; they're playing parts and following the instructions of the intimacy director. But the heart wants what the heart wants, and the, uh, hard truth is just beneath the surface.

A fascinating look at preparation for a sex scene in a film. Mature actors Charlie and Wallace rehearse a love scene at Charlie’s digs and utilize their own self-help version of intimacy direction. With A CAREFULLY PLANNED SPONTANEITY, Scott Sickles manages to construct a perfect scene - erotic while it educates. I love the twin-speak directions they give one another, like learning a complex dance step. And then there’s the stage directions for the real thing! There may have been All About Eve, but this one’s all about Wallace and Charlie.