"Two Intimate," a double-bill of "Eden" by Eugene O'Brien and "The Lover" by Harold Pinter May 24, 2012

Men will sit on one side of the house and women will sit on the other for "Two Intimate," an evening of "Eden" by Eugene O'Brien and "The Lover" by Harold Pinter, to be presented by Cat on my Head Productions, LLC from May 24 to June 9 at Dorothy Strelsin Theatre at Abingdon Theatre Complex, 312 West 36th Street. The psychology of married couples toward infidelity will be on display and the seating plan will accentuate the differing perceptions. The plays will be acted by Dan Patrick Brady and Anna Emily Wood. Kathy Gail MacGowan directs.

"Eden" by Eugene O'Brien (Ireland) depicts one weekend during the marriage of an Irish couple who haven't been intimate in years. Breda has dropped some of the weight that's always troubled her and intends to sweep her husband, Billy, off his feet down at the local disco. Billy has other plans: he's fixated on Imelda, the nubile daughter of their friends, the Egans, and dreams to resurrect his self-image by bedding her. As they exchange monologues, we experience the tragedy of their "just missed" possibility of redemption as they fail to re-connect once and for all. The play is distinguished by its peculiar, soaring argot. It premiered at the Abbey Theatre in 2000 and won the Rooney Prize for Irish Literature in 2003. Playwright Eugene O'Brien adapted the play into a film in 2008. Directed by Declan Recks and starring Eileen Walsh, it was nominated for the European Film Academy Awards in 2008.