Laurel Casillo and Alfredo Narciso

Ramona (Laurel Casillo) has cancer. She is bold, lively, sweetly alluring, and on a date with Khalil (Alfredo Narciso). He is nervous (right knee twitch), introverted, troubled by flaky dandruff—and socially inept. Additionally, Kahlil, given the electronic media age, is about to sell his identity for a vast sum of money to a corporation. He is about to go to Dubai for a week and will then, in essence, vanish.

June (Keira Naughton) is Ramona's sister who is trying, with a practical bent, to help manage Ramona's life. June, who alludes to her former husband, is also a genuinely concerned caregiver. Enter Owen (Greg Keller), a recovering drug addict who lists heroin, cocaine, crack-cocaine, and more in terms of excessive usages. He now claims that drinking a glass of wine is basically nothing. A charmingly unaffected and ruffled guy, he meets June, who dresses with a flair. Owen figures her out and one senses that were there a sequel to this play Owen and June might make it (well, not forever) as a couple.

Ramona, whose port for treatment occasionally glows upon her chest, is a person for whom one roots. She is emotive, tender, and very much filled with spirit and heart. Castillo, a trained dancer who is afforded the opportunity to demonstrate her grace and agility, fills the character with zest for life. Khalil, awkward, well-meaning, and completely taken with Ramona, is the ideal complement. Narciso is skillfully disciplined. At the outset of the second act, he has a moment which reminds me of Hank, the character Ray Romano portrayed, in television's "Parenthood."

Elevada, a tango word, is a method of stepping high to minimize contact with the ground, according to Catherine Sheehy who is production dramaturg for this show. There are dream/fantasy sequences during this presentation and a finale danced by Frankie Alicea, Luis Antonio, Evan Gambardella, Melissa Kaufman, and Rebecca Maddy. Choreographers Kyle Abraham and Kevin Williamson deserve a nod.

From its beginning, Elevada is precise. Gay's direction is specific yet allows the actors room to fuse with characters. The creative team, including Kurtis Boetcher who created the settings, costume designer Steven M. Rotramel, lighting man Tyler Micoleau, sound designer Kate Marvin, and projection designer Shawn Boyle, all receive special notice and commendation. This show includes many shorter scenes and the interludes are actual highlights of sound, light, color, and visuals. Thus, the in-betweens are assets.

Kahlil is the individual who grows from a man acquainted with social and tech media to a warm, affectionate human. Ramona, who is physically thin, has enormous depth and courage. June tries to project the image of one who is in control, within the context of this current-day New York City romantic comedy. Perhaps she is more vulnerable, however, than her sister who is battling illness. Owen, shabby looking what with orange ski hat and all, gets some of playwright Callaghan's most comedic lines. When Kahlil tells Owen that Ramona has a port for her chemotherapy, Owen, who has set him up with her says, with wry humor, "I got you a defective model. I'm gonna drop her back into the bin and grab someone functional." There is a solidity beneath that exterior: almost despite himself or maybe due to his own life experiences, he is a perceptive soul.

These four impressive actors are completely involved through the text, through Gay's direction, through interaction on stage. Callaghan, who writes with a spark, is unafraid to risk with her dialogue and she has a great ear for the colloquial. Here is a notion that the distinctive production was an actively engaging experience for playwright, actors, director, designers, dramaturg, and so forth. The result is quick moving, arty, expressive theater. It is not difficult to care about everyone and that includes Fisherman, Kahlil's dog, whom we never meet. It might be fun to run into one of these folks at a trendy Brooklyn restaurant...

Elevada continues at Yale Repertory Theatre in New Haven through May 16th, 2015. For tickets, call (203) 432-1234 or visit yalerep.org.

Photo: Carol Rosegg

- Fred Sokol