“Reasons
To Be Happy” is set in ‘the outlying suburbs, not too long ago’.
It’s the story of four friends, turned lovers, turned enemies, who
are just trying to live their lives right. It’s a classic telling
of the love triangle, and how these young adults futures didn’t
unfold as they had planned because of it. The show opens with Greg,
played by Josh Hamilton (Dead Accounts, Dark Skies) running
into his ex-girlfriend Steph, played by Jenna Fisher (The Office,
Blades of Glory) in the parking lot of a Trader Joe’s. Steph is
now married to someone else, but clearly hasn’t moved on enough.
Who can blame her though, when Greg is now dating Steph’s ex-best
friend, Carly, played by Leslie Bibb (Last of the Red Hot Lovers,
Talladega Nights). Carly has a three-year-old daughter Jennifer
(who’s never seen in the show) with friend of the group Kent,
played by Fred Weller (Glengarry Glen Ross, The Shape of Things).
Kent is not around a lot in Jennifer’s life and some would even
argue that Greg is becoming more of a father figure to her than her
own dad. Carly works as a security guard and Kent often works
stocking her rather bland break room (one of the two sets in the
show), causing them to frequently and awkwardly run into each other.
To make matters worse, Greg often drops Carly off as well as picks
her up from work, forcing him to run into Kent too. After the run in
at Trader Joe’s, Steph reaches out to Greg with an apology, and the
two begin to reconcile. Steph suggests they give their relationship
one last try, complete with the willingness to leave her current
husband. Greg agrees there is something still there and starts seeing
both girls simultaneously. He agreed to break up with Carly until she
reveals she’s pregnant with his baby. Now Greg has to decide which
of the two ex-best friends he would rather be with in this terribly
sticky situation, all while tolerating a jealous Kent whom he still
sort of connects with just to increase the testosterone in his
dramatic life.
It’s
no surprise “Reasons To Be Happy” opened to rave reviews; Neil
LaBute is known for other successful ‘modern’ plays such as “Fat
Pig” and “The Shape of Things”, so given his immense talent for
writing and directing as well as his all-star cast and the success of
“Reasons To Be Pretty”, “Reasons To Be Happy” was everything
audiences had hoped it would be. It runs roughly 2 hours 15 minutes
with an intermission and it’s got a great, chill vibe with modern
lighting and scene changes accompanied by alternative rock hits such
as “Come As You Are” by Nirvana. When the scenes aren’t taking
place in Carly’s break room, a lot of ambiance is created simply
with lighting, props such as benches or flowers, and sound cues like
children running on a soccer field. You don’t need to be a theatre
junkie to appreciate that so much is done with so little. Complete
with a lot of profanity, “Reasons To Be Happy” sure gave
audiences a good laugh.
What is comes down to be that “Reasons To Be Happy” is relatable
to virtually anyone who saw it. Everyone at one point in their life
has to make vital decisions, and ultimately everyone is going to
chase what makes them happy. “Reasons To Be Happy” is
worth seeing at any future chance, and definitely worth reading in
the mean time!
