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Computer code and molecular biology create a modern language of love

BY MICHAEL SOMMERS

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

OFF BROADWAY REVIEW

People under the age of 40, I suspect, will enjoy “Completeness” a good deal more than older viewers.

Not to be ageist, mind, but Itamar Moses’ new romantic comedy, which opened Tuesday at Playwrights Horizons, is brightly composed in a language of love that young theatergoers especially will appreciate.

Set on a university campus today, the story involves two graduate students. Elliot is a computer wonk who offers to write a complicated algorithm for Molly’s big study in molecular biology.

When they get together ostensibly to develop the project, they confess to be using it as an excuse to hook up.

As Elliot and Molly soon become immersed in each other as well as their work, their brainy talk about computer code and molecular growth reflects the endless possibilities regarding their relationship.

For all of their smarts (or because of them), Elliot and Molly tend to over-think matters a lot, which eventually cause a breakdown in their romance. The unexpectedly dramatic way that the playwright signifies this crisis will surprise viewers.

The author of “The Four of Us” and “Bach at Leipzig,” Moses writes quick, amusing yet believable talk – torrents of it sometimes – that sounds highly contemporary in both thought and expression. While “Completeness” is a light comedy of no great consequence, its craft and inventiveness are notable. A real charmer, the play is likely to become a popular item among regional theaters in coming seasons.

Director Pam MacKinnon provides a handsome and very well acted production at Playwrights Horizons.