Love, aging and death contour Henry Murray's multilayered play Three Views of the Same Object. Academic professionals Poppy and Jesse (Allan Miller and Anne Gee Byrd) have had a long, fruitful marriage but now are in the waning stages of life. He is suffering from terminal cancer, while booze and prescription drugs assuage her crippling physical and emotional maladies. “If I felt like you look, I'd be asking for a couple of aspirin,” Poppy quips in a moment of wry humor.
At the heart of this bittersweet story, however, is their suicide pact, and it is the painful (and often funny) working out of this solemn agreement that galvanizes the piece with emotional resonance while offering a haunting portrait of the grim reality faced by many senior citizens. This play uses multiple actors in three parts, each disclosing different perspectives on and dramatic chemistry of the couple's bleak circumstances.
It's the savvy direction of co-directors John Perrin Flynn, Brett Aune and Hollace Starr that keeps the action flowing smoothly on Stephanie Kerley Schwartz's handsome, meticulously appointed set. Performances are all terrific. Complementing Byrd and Miller's stellar portrayals are K. Callan, Shelly Kurtz, Nancy Linehan Charles and, as caretaker Ms. Widkin, Catherine Carlen.

Fridays, Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 3 p.m. Starts: Sept. 15. Continues through Oct. 28, 2012

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