There is a vast gap between a theater piece and a stand-up comedy act, but Peter Fogel is the latest performer aiming to bridge that divide with his solo show, ’Til Death Do Us Part … You First!
The result is far more the latter than the former, but that does not prevent the evening from being 90 minutes of amiable humor.
As the title suggests, this largely autobiographical show explores Fogel’s own commitment phobia. At the age of 55, his long-term relationship with an admittedly terrific gal named Cheryl is seriously endangered because he refuses to take it to the next level – marriage. So he comes before us, to plead his case against the tie that binds, in a string of one-liners.
The differences between men and women is hardly new comic territory. Think of Defending the Caveman or The Male Intellect: An Oxymoron? Still, Fogel’s ingratiating delivery and inclusive approach to the subject, plus some genuinely funny observations, make ’Til Death an entertaining evening out.
His attempts to turn the corner into theater include a few video segments and a couple of aural exchanges with Morgan Freeman (voiced quite credibly by Jason Stephens). The theatrical conceit is that Freeman has come to wise up Fogel by showing him his past, present and future – if he does not change his ways.
Right, it borrows liberally from Charles Dickens, being a take on A Christmas Carol, but taking place on that holiday bane of most men, Valentine’s Day. Set in his personal man cave, the stage at the Mizner Park Cultural Center has a few couches and chairs, which Fogel moves among and occasionally lounges on, but he might as well have stood at a stationary microphone.
’Til Death Do Us Part could use a director to shape Fogel’s monologues and inch it closer to theater. But if you are looking for some laughs and a few trenchant remarks to identify with, it will do.
’TIL DEATH DO US PART … YOU FIRST!, Mizner Park Cultural Center, 201 Plaza Real, Boca Raton. Through Sunday, Oct. 29. $32-$45. 844-672-2849.