When Love Is Enough: Gary Henderson's "Skin Tight"

Peter Saide as Tom and Sarah-Jane Casey as Elizabeth in "Skin Tight" by Gary Henderson at 59E59 Theaters.
Photo by Carol Rosegg

"Remember that time..."  "Yes," she answers.  He protests "You don't know what I was going to say." She answers "I don't have to. I remember everything."

"Skin Tight," at 59E59 Theaters in a One Year Lease production through December 1st, is an abstract love story by Gary Henderson, based on "The Magpies," a poem by New Zealander Denis Glover.

Peter Saide as Tom and Sarah-Jane Casey as Elizabeth in "Skin Tight" by Gary Henderson at 59E59 Theaters. 
Photo by Carol Rosegg

"Skin Tight," bristles with sensual provocations. It is intense with eroticism, frank language and nudity. Gary Henderson's  short play is oddly interesting, opening with an fierce and well-choreographed  (by  Natalie Lomonte, former dance captain for Spiderman) smackdown between an man and a woman. "Skin  Tight"  is about the enduring love between Tom (Peter Saide) and Elizabeth (Sarah-Jane Casey). 

Sarah-Jane Casey and Peter Saide in "Skin Tight" at 59E59 Theaters. Photo by Carol Rosegg

The parade of their lives goes from childhood games to wartime separation, from waiting and wanting to infidelity and loyalty. It is a steamy tale, told with good humor. The fighting is brutally savage and very acrobatic.    "Skin  Tight"  is  both romantic and completely grounded. 

The place names trip lovingly off Tom's tongue. "Point Pleasant. Fairlie. Little nothing names full of magic," he says. "Tekapo. Pukaki. And the rivers. The Waitaki. The Rangitata." Tom and Elizabeth have a lifetime to talk over, yet they are both fit and young, truly a handsome pair. 

"Skin Tight" is an ode to reminiscences, shared forthrightly. Peter Saide and Sarah-Jane Casey are a very fetching couple, physically attractive, even imposing. They embue the story of "Skin Tight" with  a natural grace and charm.

For more information on the production, visit www.59e59.org.