Stagecrafters presents ‘Perfect Arrangement’

ROYAL OAK —- Stagecrafters will be presenting “Perfect Arrangement,” an exciting and bittersweet comedy that “challenges the illusion of the American Dream,” according to a Stagecrafters press release.

The cast will be performing the play May 2, 3, 4, 8, 9, 10 and 11 at the Stagecrafters 2nd Stage of The Baldwin Theatre, 415 S. Lafayette Ave. in Royal Oak.

The show, created by Topher Payne, takes place in 1950s suburbia, where not everything is as it seems.

The play is “set during the height of the Lavender Scare, a period when the U.S. government systematically targeted LGBTQ+ individuals,” the press release states.

The story follows two couples who are seemingly perfect, but hiding secrets. The comedy dives into themes of conformity, identity and courage.

“Everyone has pretended to be something they are not. Some people’s entire lives are spent hiding their truth — for family, for society, out of fear. ‘Perfect Arrangement’ may take place in the 1950s, but its themes are painfully relevant today,” Leta Chrisman, director, said in a prepared statement. “As attacks on our most marginalized communities intensify, sharing stories like this is more vital than ever. We all just want to exist as ourselves and thrive, and when some are denied that right, we must tell our truths as loudly as we can.”

“Perfect Arrangement” dives into the lives of LGBTQ+ individuals in the 1950s, but according to Stagecrafters actor Danielle Billik, the story represents what life is like today.

“I wish that the themes of this show were not so terrifyingly relevant to today,” Billik said. “The characters in this story talk about how they want things to change, and they hope that things will change, and their journey is toward making a decision about whether they have the courage to fight and be who they are and to love who they love, open and without fear and shame. It’s scary to think we are headed back towards that.”

Billik will be playing the part of Barbara Grant, a mid-40s bisexual woman.

“Barbara is a very, very unashamed and very smart and successful woman,” Billik said. “In the 1950s that wasn’t necessarily a common thing. Someone who has an education and doesn’t necessarily need to have a husband in order to have the life that she wants.”

Billik said that she auditioned for the role while also performing in the Stagecrafters production of “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.”

“When auditions were happening, I was so drawn to this character (Barbara). I read the script, and I just related a lot to her,” she said. “We were in rehearsals and getting ready for ‘A Funny Thing’ and I thought that I can’t take on quite that much commitment at once, but the stars aligned and I ended up being able to play both.”

The show is a lot like a 1950s sitcom, according to Billik, who said that the Stagecrafters 2nd Stage is a perfect place to hold the show.

“The intimacy really lends itself to this show. All of our scenes take place in the home of one of the couples in the show, and I love what our set designers have done with it,” Billik said. “The color palette is very muted and shades of grey that kind of evoke the black and white TV sitcom vibe. It’s a simple set that makes you feel like you’re in that living room and this could be those couples that you are watching on a sitcom.”

Although the show touches on some serious notes, Billik said the comedy balances out the hard messages.

“With a show like this where you’re really getting a peek into people’s real lives and the difficult choice that they have to make in order to love who they want, it’s really a balance,” she said. “It builds and blends with so many funny moments in such witty dialogue that it’s like a spoonful of sugar. I think that this script, which is brilliant, such a smart script, that it just flows and it balances those things to give you, like, the full emotional experience”

Tickets can be purchased at stagecrafters.org.