Florida Studio Theatre's Advice

Advice is a powerful work of art that will linger in your thoughts for days after the curtain falls.”

SARASOTA — Florida Studio Theater recently opened its production of Brent Askari’s Advice, part of the company's Stage III season in the Bowne's Lab.

On the surface, Ron and Joy are a happy and successful couple. He’s a professor of history. She’s a big-shot lawyer. They live in a fancy apartment in the big city. While getting ready for a celebratory anniversary dinner, they get a surprise visit from Ron’s college friend Gary, who’d recently been living with them after a second divorce until Joy managed to get him a job.

To the couple’s amazement, a publisher has bought Gary’s self-help book, inspiring him to give up his new job in pursuit of a career as a life coach and motivational speaker. The theme of the book is how to achieve your ultimate success, despite Gary having precious little, if any, of his own to point to.

When their efforts to dissuade him from making what they find to be a ludicrously rash decision lead to a sampling of exercises from Gary’s program, the dynamics quickly shift. At times hilarious, at times poignantly riveting, think of Advice as a high-brow dramedy version of a Seinfeld episode.

Sitcom veteran Patrick Noonan is perfectly cast as Gary, a clumsy, oafish sot who can’t get out of his own way, no matter how well-intentioned he may be. At first, it’s easy to be just as skeptical and dismissive as his friends are over any ability to impart wisdom. However, he slowly wins our hearts by showing us how much of it can be acquired if someone pays enough attention to learn from their mistakes.

James Evans is excellent as Ron, the mild-mannered and agreeable husband trying to appease his wife while being conscious of his sensitive friend’s feelings. Amanda Kristin Nichols starts out a bit frosty as Joy, a woman who seems to revel in snark and condescension before the big reveal puts the weight of the play on her shoulders.

Let me say this: Nichols delivers! For most of this tightly paced, 75-minute, no-intermission performance, the three actors deftly bat lines and parry retorts, abetted by Askari’s drum-tight writing. But when Joy takes center stage, Nichols takes off like a runaway train, delivering a mesmerizing performance that closes the show with a thunderclap.

Advice is a powerful work of art that will linger in your thoughts for days after the curtain falls. It is exactly the kind of innovative work that we’ve come to expect from Stage III productions. In the intimate space of the Bowne's Lab, audiences will feel as if they are a fly on the wall of the apartment.

Directed by Nancy Rominger, Advice runs through Feb. 28. Visit the FST website for schedule and ticket information.

Dennis "Mitch" Maley is a novelist, as well as an editor and opinion columnist for The Bradenton Times. In addition to his regular Sunday column, he hosts our weekly podcast and does travel features, as well as theater, restaurant, and wine reviews. He is a graduate of Shippensburg University and later served as a Captain in the U.S. Army. Click here for his bio. His books are available here.