‘Dinner With Friends’

Another trip through the emotional ringer

By MILAN PAURICH

entertainment@vindy.com

Donald Margulies latest play, “Time Stands Still,” opened this January on Broadway to rave reviews. An earlier Margulies’ work, 2000’s Pulitzer Prize-winning “Dinner With Friends,” takes the stage this weekend at the Oakland Center for the Arts.

In a recent interview, “Friends” director Christopher Fidram discussed the appeal — and the challenges of tackling such an emotionally charged play, and why he’s so attracted to Pulitzer-winning dramas.

Q. Why did you choose to direct another weighty, contemporary piece after last June’s already legendary production of “Rabbit Hole”?

A. I’m naturally drawn to pieces that are character-driven, rather than plot driven. I find them the most interesting plays to direct and the most revealing plays for actors to perform. There’s a level of intimacy that fascinates me. I’ve traveled the world, climbed the Great Wall, but my most profound revelations of understanding and accepting who we are as people have happened over a cup of coffee.

Q. Like “Rabbit Hole,” “Dinner With Friends” won the Pulitzer Prize for drama. Do you feel any extra pressure to do the playwright (and their work) justice when the show has received such a prestigious award? Or does it seem easier in some ways knowing that the play itself is so strong that half of your job has already been done for you?

A. A well-written play doesn’t necessarily make my job easier (laughs). What it does, though, is provide greater opportunities for the actors to create more complex, interesting characters. I don’t like plays that force the audience to agree that, “This character is evil and this character is good.” When I’m in the audience, I want the characters and the story to surprise me, to defy my expectations and cause me to empathize in a way I wasn’t prepared for. Good plays don’t place judgments. They leave it up to the audience to decide for themselves. We’re all flawed, unpredictable people, and the couples in “Dinner With Friends” are no different.

Q. Tell us a little about the story and characters

A. “Dinner With Friends” is a funny, honest play about two successful married couples who have been best friends for years. The floor drops out one winter evening when it’s announced that one of the couples is splitting up. The couple whose marriage remains intact are understandably shocked by the news, and soon begin questioning how the breakup will affect their friendships as well as their own marital bond.

Q. What initially drew you to the play?

A. No matter if it’s Tiger Woods or your next-door neighbors, the same scenario seems to ring true. When a couple is splitting up, our inquisitive minds ask, “Why?” We want to know what caused it and whose ‘”fault” it is. As if it’s really any of our business. Keep in mind, a couple is experiencing perhaps the most devastating period of their lives, and instead of us asking, “What do you need, and how can I be a better friend to you?,” we’re looking for whose side to take. In “Dinner With Friends,” Gabe and Karen actually strategize as to which of the friends their alliances should remain with. One of them comments that no matter how much you think you know your friends, you don’t really know what couples are like when they’re alone. And I believe that. So the play is full of twists and turns and more discoveries. A part of the play is undeniably about divorce. But more deeply, I think, the play is about each of us — the unconditional support we come to expect from lasting friendships, and the betrayal we personally feel when the dynamics of those friendships are changed in some way.

Q. Who’s appearing in the show?

A. I’ve been blessed with a wonderful cast. James McClellan, Laura Phillips, Cheryl Games and John Cox. The nicest compliment I can give these actors is that they are fearless when it comes to taking risks onstage. They are also extremely generous with their talents. Equally dedicated is my stage manager, Susi Thompson. When you agree to direct a strong ensemble piece like this, theirs is the kind of dedication you hope for.

Q. Any teasers for what you might be working on in the 2010-11 season?

A. Next season, I have my eyes on a play (Neil LaBute’s “Fat Pig”) that will break down the doors to how we judge and perceive the female body image. Needless to say, it offers two powerhouse roles for actresses.