**** Recommended I didn’t know what to expect when I went to see the Midwest premiere of The Swingset: An Adult Comedy at Theatre at the Center. This special Valentine’s Day performance turned out to be unexpectedly funny and rather charming. If you have a chance to see this engaging story in the future, I recommend it.
After retiring, Abby (Kristyn Estes) and Jake (Fred Buchalter) moved to South Florida. They’re still unpacking and getting settled in their new home when they get an unexpected house-warming gift from friends back home. Neither Abby nor Jake can figure out what this thing is – or which way is up – but it has a plug, so that must be the bottom. They set it on the windowsill, plug it in and forget all about it.
When Abby decides to go for a walk, she tries to get Jake to go along, but he decides to stay home. Abby comes back with an invitation to a party given by some neighbors for that night. She wants to go, he decides to stay home and work on his book about insurance.
Fred Buchalter as Jake in The Swingset. Photo by Carol Moore
When she gets home, she calls her best friend to share her experience, saying the things she saw at that party she’d never be able to unsee! She didn’t share that information with Jake, however.
The next day, Jake overhears her on the phone with her best friend, talking about how much she loves Chad (who is actually a party planner helping Abby plan a surprise retirement party for Jake). Suspicious, Jake looks in her calendar only to find more meetings with this guy, one even at a hotel.
Jake decides she must have met this guy at that party, so when he finds an invitation taped to the front door, he decides to go to the party – without Abby – and confront Chad. When he gets home, visibly shaken, he calls his best friend to tell him about the things he saw at that party, things he’d never be able to unsee.
Kristyn Estes as Abby & Fred Buchalter as Jake in The Swingset. Photo by Carol Moore
The misunderstandings and miscommunications are what make this play so funny. In the end, they figure it what’s going on together.
Estes said she wrote a funny story and gave a copy to former Star Plaza Theatre producer Charlie Blum. After he read it, he encouraged her to take it to the Marco Island Arts Center Theatre’s 2022 play reading series for further development. It eventually premiered at that theater in 2024 to critical acclaim. Blum also assisted in bringing the play to Theatre at the Center.
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