Carolyn Johnson, Freelance Writer

The other woman, Janet Ragen, played by Carol Campbell, tries to reconcile her feelings for the man who is still trying to save his marriage while carrying on a relationship with her. - Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer

The Perfect Setup, which opens with Mario Winans' I Don't Want To Know should have told the audience, if they were listening, what to expect from the play. But whatever insights and conclusions they might have gathered about the plot, they would have been wrong.

They would have been just as wrong as Paul Gregory (Munair Zacca) was about his wife, Ann, played by Kerstin Pringle.

While on a date with his other woman, Janet Ragen (Carol Campbell), Paul chances to see his wife also out with another man. Like Winans, it seemed he may have been better had he not known.

When he confronts his wife about her infidelity, he is in for the shock of his life.

This sets into action the story as Paul is forced to face his infidelity and beliefs about marriage as he tries to save his, or at least not to end up alone. While doing this, he sends Janet on an emotional roller coaster.

Two can play

Paul has mastered his character. He is the husband who has and continues to find activity outside his marriage. He is, however, jolted to reality when he realises his wife not only plays the game but also is winning at it. He tries to have his cake and eat it. He wants his marriage to work and though willing to make it happen, is still tied to Janet and his 'doggish ways'.

Ann is the opposite of Janet in her temperament. While Janet lashes out at Paul and throws tantrums, Ann is "cool and calculating", as Paul describes her. She has accepted her situation and has weighed how best to deal with it. She is a far cry from the conservative young lady Paul married 15 years ago though she continues to be the dutiful wife and mother.

Janet plays her role well. Recently divorced, she is embracing the 'bachelor' life after falling madly in love with her husband. Now she is cautious not to get attached but it seems she got more than she had bargained for. Though she tries to fight it, it seems to be a case of Deborah Cox's How Did You Get Here as Paul ruffles the bachelorette's nest leaving it in disarray.

two-act play

The two-act play with three scenes each, takes place in Gregory's bedroom and the living room of Ann's small apartment. Both are well decorated, denoting their social status. The selection of songs was delicately interwoven throughout the play.

The Perfect Setup closed at the Centerstage theatre, last weekend after a two-week encore run was perfectly executed by the cast of three. The play, written by Jack Sher and directed by Pablo Hoilett, offered an interesting look at love, romance, marriage and family with a bit of laughter in the mix.

Paul Gregory (Munair Zacca) and his dutiful wife, Ann, played by Kerstin Pringle in a scene from the play 'The Perfect Setup', held at Centerstage, New Kingston, on Thursday, May 8.