Sam Shepard’s 1983 play Fool for Love is a controversial work that bends the mind and heart in ways that one might not think (or want) possible. The tumultuous and complicated love affair of two deeply wounded humans, Eddie and May — who are as magnetically drawn together as they are poisoned by the toxicity of their connection — is a heartbreaking train wreck that is hard to watch but impossible to look away from.
NOVA Nightsky Theatre is currently performing this unconventional story with an incredibly talented cast at the Falls Church Presbyterian Church. The set is an old motel room with a bed, a small kitchenette table, and a dresser with an old 1980s television on top. The colors are muted, and the walls are bare, which imbues the scene with a hint of forlornness even before the action begins.
Jaclyn Robertson is May, holed up in the run-down motel in the desert and tracked down by her former flame Eddie, played by Nate Eagle. Eddie attempts to convince May to come back to him and live out a fantasy future that he has envisioned for them, but May refuses citing implications of another woman and his habit of abandoning her repeatedly.
Robertson and Eagle as May and Eddie are a phenomenal powerhouse pair, with palpable chemistry and compelling performances that bring a realness to their characters that can often be spoiled with an excess of melodrama and overwhelming fury.
On the surface there are hints of alcoholism, abuse, infidelity, and all the familiar roadblocks of a romantic relationship. But as their argument progresses and history is revealed, their troubles prove to far exceed the “normal” hangups of a couple at odds. To make matters worse, May informs her unwelcome ex that she is expecting a man to show up to take her on a date at any moment.
John Paul Odle is the unfortunate man interested in the wrong girl at the wrong time, Martin. Upon hearing May and Eddie’s arguing from outside of the motel room, he bursts through the door and tackles Eddie in what he believes is an attempt to rescue May from an assault. Poor explanations of a visiting cousin and loads of awkwardness later, and Martin is listening to Eddie go into the sensitive and deeply personal details of his past with his “cousin.” Odle’s Martin is patient and understanding but utterly confused, and does a great job creating the natural but antsy energy of a person in an impossibly uncomfortable situation.
Kevin Dykstra is The Old Man, who sits in the far downstage corner most of the time, watching the intimate moments, heightened drama, and unfortunate love-triangle development of Eddie and May. His identity is ambiguous at first, and he is clearly on a plane apart from reality, but as he interacts with the pair, arguing about differing accounts of the stories being told and offering his own reminiscence in context, the dynamic of their connection becomes clear. And the reliability of his input is muddied. Dykstra’s Old Man is oblivious to the wreckage of his own life and serves as, if not a justification for the horrid situation, at least a pitied understanding of how things came to be.
NOVA Nightsky’s production of Sam Shepard’s Fool for Love is a wonderfully executed and highly entertaining piece of the theater that highlights the complexities of love and perception, while demonstrating how easily lives can be turned to chaos by the negligence of others.
The show leaves the audience as life often does, without a resolution or hope for peaceful reconciliation. But the journey is one of those hard-to-describe experiences that evoke and inspire impassioned conversations long after an event has ended. The cast does a phenomenal job bringing a heartwrenching and tragic story to life, honoring the material’s unique and profoundly emotional text.
Running Time: Approximately 90 minutes, with no intermission.
Fool for Love plays through February 15, 2025, presented by NOVA Nightsky Theater performing Falls Church Presbyterian Church, located at 225 E Broad St, Falls Church, VA. Tickets ($28, with a $0.70 service fee for General Admission) are available for purchase at the door or online.
Fool for Love
By Sam Shephard
Directed by Chris D’Angelo
CAST
Nate Eagle: Eddie
Jaclyn Robertson: May
John Paul Odle: Martin
Kevin Dykstra: The Old Man
Stage Managed by Hannah Ruth Blackwell
