‘In the Car with Blossom & Len’ arrives Feb. 20

Joni Fritz is very upfront about the fact that her new play, “In the Car with Blossom and Len” is based on her own family.

In the play, Lenny Gold is a chemical engineer married to his ever-tolerant wife Blossom. Their family is disrupted when one of their adult daughters uncovers a box of unpaid bills, which leads to an ever-spiraling series of revelations.

Further complicating matters is the issue of Alzheimer’s disease.

Fritz states that her late parents, Don and Phyllis Fritz, share traits with characters in the play. Like the Golds, the Fritzes underwent a crisis brought on by the father.

However, the name of the play is “In the Car with Blossom and Len,” not “In the Car with Phyllis and Don.” And despite the serious issues raised, the work is primarily a comedy laced with poignancy.

“Not all the details are the same,” says Fritz. “But it is based on what happened with my family. What happened was so horrible, but my parents were so hilarious about it. I knew I wanted to write about it.”

“The most challenging part of writing is telling the truth,” Fritz says. “But it wasn’t painful writing this play. The story was out there, and it needed to be told.”

The Golds’ story will play out when “In the Car with Blossom and Len” is presented by the Centenary Stage Co. The production runs tonight through March 8.

The play is directed by Lynne Taylor-Corbett, who had previously staged Fritz’ play “Girl’s Room” in New York and Los Angeles.

The production features Emily Jon Mitchell and Peter Levine as Blossom and Len. Their daughters Holly and Fern are played by Patricia Randell and Kathleen M. Darcy, respectively. Maria Brodeur rounds out the cast as a social worker, Susan.

Taylor-Corbett feels an affinity for Fritz’ work. “Joni writes about human nature in such a compassionate, witty way,” she writes in an e-mail. “It is such a rare gift to shift emotional gears as often as she does.”

“It challenges me as a director to track those shifts so they seem truthful,” Taylor-Corbett adds.

“In the Car with Blossom and Len” has been presented as staged readings, including one reading in Manhattan with Len Cariou and Kyra Sedgwick.

When the play was read as part of the Women’s Playwright Series at Centenary Stage Co., it received the 2014 Susan Glaspell Award and chosen for a full production.

Fritz believes that the play strikes a chord of sympathy with audiences. “So many baby boomers are going through these conflicted emotions dealing with their parents – the guilt, the tears, the laughter,” she says.

“But the play isn’t just for the older crowd or for baby boomers,” Fritz says. “We did a reading in Ithaca, and one 18-year-old said that it made him realize what his parents and grandparents are going through. It’s really a play for everyone.”

Taylor-Corbett agrees. “I want audiences to be entertained as they experience the play, to laugh because they relate, to be moved because they relate,” she writes. “If we can make audiences forget where they are and go on this ride, I'll be happy.”

Though Fritz has been writing for 15 years, her first experiences were as an actress. Her background includes commercials, various stage productions, and TV shows such as “Commander USA” for the USA Network, for which she also wrote.

“Acting has been helpful with my writing,” Fritz says. “I’m aware of each character’s arc. I can hear the lines being said. I ask myself, ‘Would I want to do this?’ ”

Fritz admits that her first attempts at playwriting tended to be overwritten and that she can sense her improvement. “I can see the growth even from ‘Girl’s Room,’ ” she says. “My work has become deeper but simpler. I get to the point sooner.”

‘IN THE CAR WITH BLOSSOM AND LEN’

WHAT: The discovery of a box of unpaid bills leads to the unearthing of secrets in this seriocomic work, winner of the Susan Glaspell Award. Playwright Joni Fritz takes a funny and poignant look at the dynamics within a family that consists of two aging parents and their adult daughters.

WHEN: Through March 8

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE:

• 2 and 8 p.m. Fridays, Feb. 20 and 27 and March 6

• 8 p.m. Saturdays, Feb. 21 and 28 and March 7

• 2 p.m. Sundays, Feb. 22 and March 1 and 8

• 2 p.m. Wednesdays, Feb. 25 and March 4

• 7:30 p.m., Thursdays, Feb. 26 and March 5 (“Family Night”)

WHERE: David and Carol Lackland Center, Centenary College, 715 Grand Ave., Hackettstown.

TICKETS: $17.50 to $27.50, with discounts for students, seniors, and groups. All seats $25 Thursdays (“Family Night,” two-for-one rush ticket discount when purchased in person at the box office two hours prior to performance.).

INFORMATION: 908-979-0900 or www.centenarystageco.org.