In a big auditorium, there is a whole different play unfolding for those in the front row… subtle facial movements that would be lost a few rows back come into cinematic focus.  For some patrons, this is a little too close for comfort; and frankly, some performances simply don't hold up under such close scrutiny.  In Chalk Repertory Theatre's "Fool For Love," director Charlie Oates gives his actors nothing to hide behind.  No more than 20 audience members are squeezed into a hotel room where the story of embattled lovers unfolds.  There are no front row seats here; the audience is on the set, inside the story.
   
Chalk Repertory has made a name for itself itself putting high quality plays in places where you might not expect them.  This past fall, they produced "Gallery Secrets," a series of new plays that took place in the Natural History Museum.  For "Fool For Love," they went on Airbnb, a site where anyone can advertise their spare-room or couch as an informal bed and breakfast, and rented a guest cottage on a quiet Culver City street to be their venue.  On the patio outside, the stage manager, Liv Wafler, tells the audience to think of this as boarding an airplane: all valuables need to be stowed completely beneath your seat, and make sure to go to the bathroom beforehand, because once this show begins you will not get another chance. Also, make sure not to move anything, you never know what might be a prop.
         
The audience enters the room where the action has already begun, taking seats along the walls. May (Teri Reeves) sits on the bed with her head between her knees; her face is hidden beneath her hair, but it's obvious something is wrong.  The cause of her anguish is sitting right across the room, her former lover Eddie (Brian Slaten).  The entire plot occurs in this tiny room; sometimes actors are wrestling across the floor, sometimes one will look out a window directly over an audience member's head.  For patrons that like to hide in a back-row, there is no cover here. This is not theater for the faint of heart.

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For the brave, courage pays off.  The play, part of a cycle by Sam Shepard, debuted in 1983 starring Ed Harris, and since then has been taken on by the likes of Bruce Willis, Aidan Quinn, and even Shepard himself opposite Kim Basinger in a Robert Altman movie.  The film makes a few perplexing changes to the play, including choosing not to keep to a single room, but to wander around a trashy parking lot, losing the immediacy of the story. Immediacy, however, is exactly what Chalk Repertory's production delivers.  At the outset, it might be hard to ignore the strangeness of being an invisible intruder into this semi-domestic scene, but as it progresses, it is hard to not be consumed by this story.
   
The mysteries in their relationship unravel thrillingly, and theirs is not a simple story.  Aside from the audience, there is another witness to the scene, a ghostly presence named in the script as "Old Man."  He (Richard Wharton) spends most of his time sitting in a rocking chair drinking hard alcohol, occasionally commenting on the action, and once or twice addressing the audience directly. He is occasionally invisible to others, but whether or not he is dead or alive is left unknown.  The perspective of this character elevates the drama, and helps to show why Shepard really is an important playwright.  Shepard makes something completely strange seem completely necessary.
   

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Reeves is fearless as May; when she says that someday she's going to stab Eddie, the audience checks the room for a knife.  Her May is powerful, beautiful, and vulnerable, but able to hold her own. Together Reeves and Slaten make their characters sympathetic throughout their volatile changes, which is not an easy task.  Oates does a good job having these two actors remain appealing throughout the show; if an audience is going to be this close, they need a reason to stay in their seats, and these are actors you would not mind being engrossed by.
   
Chalk Repertory's "Fool For Love" is a unique experience.  For those who prefer to be sitting in the front row, this show was made just for you.  Like any good thing, a few tradeoffs might be made.  If you go, make a move for the cushioned bench along the wall opposite the entrance.  The chairs are small and might not provide a larger person enough room.  It is definitely for the brave, but "Fool For Love" is not a play that will be easily forgotten.

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'Fool For Love' is playing at Chalk Repertory Theatre through July 6. Tickets are $20. Exact location will be given when advance tickets are bought.  For more information visit www.ChalkRep.com