RIDGEFIELD - From the opening words of Annie Baker's Body Awareness, now playing at Ridgefield Theater Barn, the audience was caught up in the mess that is family life. Laced with humor on a solid foundation of serious family business, the play reveals the flaws and challenges faced by the nuclear unit, no matter its constitution. This is tenderly and boldly played out in this superb work, which continues on weekends through June 24.Body Awareness. It will so be worth the effort.Ridgefield Theater Barn's production of Body Awareness is being presented Friday and Saturday evenings at 8, and Sunday afternoons at 5, through June 24. As mentioned above, the work is recommended for mature audiences.For ticket and additional information, call 203-431-9850 or visit ridgefieldtheaterbarn.org.

Partners Phyllis and Joyce (played by Rosemary Howard and Amber Mason) cohabitate along with Joyce's possibly autistic son. Diagnosis or not, Jared (Ryan Wenke) is socially awkward and emotionally stunted. His proclivities border on perverse, yet his naïveté makes them, well, simply naïve.

He is frustrated, anxious, and angry, yet inquisitive and witty. Innocent and curious herself, Joyce struggles to understand and deal with Jared as much as she tries to grapple with her own longings.

Phyllis, an academic and smarty pants, holds the family together with her superiority and ridicule. For all appearances, Phyllis is the only competent family member. She guides her university students through the special event called Body Awareness Week while dealing with shifting circumstances on the home front. That is until an interloping photographer named Frank (David Fritch) arrives for a weeklong stay.

An ardent feminist, Phyllis is appalled and unglued by Frank's chosen artistic subject: nude women. Joyce is a firefly to his flame. Phyllis begins to unravel. The cracks start to widen while each member wrestles with their own demons and desires, as Frank weighs in and looks on.

There cannot be enough praise for this unbelievably talented cast. Firmly entrenched in their roles, each actor peels back the layers of the dysfunction and fear that exists in families of any and all shapes and sizes. Each of their portrayals is a tour de force, their performances are excellent. Ryan Wenke is astonishing.

Under the direction of Maryann Koltun, the staging is flawless and the characters crystallized. The set, designed by Nick Kaye, works well to accommodate the various settings and fully displays the warmth of this small and fragile family.

Annie Baker is an exceptional playwright. This production pays homage to her skill. While for mature audiences only, its lessons in the compromising and compassion required to make relationships work span generations.

We are all in this together and will work it out, because we love each other. Try really hard to get to a performance of

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