Lucy’s invisible friend, Mr. Marmalade, is an abusive, hot-tempered philanderer, a coke-snorting, porn-loving alcoholic who deserts her when she needs him most. Her new relationship with schoolyard pal Larry drives Mr. M into a jealous rage; he calls her names too profane to repeat, provoking Lucy’s friend Larry to defend her honor. Did I mention Lucy and Larry are still in pre-school?
In his witty, outrageous script, author Noah Haidle outlines the rules governing imaginary friends…namely, they can mean more to you than real friends. You control them, up to a point. Adults can’t see them but will usually play along with their supposed existence.
Though the titular friend (played with great range by Mars Timms) is a stretch, even in a post-JonBenet Ramsey world, his crack-up, rehab, romance and fall from grace are well-paced fun. Laurel Schrader and Matt Hendrix sustain the perfect chords respectively as Lucy and Larry. Through every twist and turn of Lucy’s fantasies, the cast maintains just enough comic distance to sweeten an otherwise dour predicament.
Mr. Marmalade, presented by Chemically Imbalanced Comedy, runs through April 29 at the Cornservatory, 4210 N Lincoln Avenue. 8 p.m. Thursday-Friday; 5 p.m. Sunday. Tickets cost $15 and can be purchased at www.cicomedy.com or by calling (800) 838-3006.