‘Slight Hitch’ to open at Barn Theatre

The public persona of stand-up comic Lewis Black is that of an irascible grouch incensed at modern life. On stage and on TV, Black is pretty much an R-rated version of Anger, the apoplectic character he voiced in the animated movie “Inside Out.”

But Black has more to offer than bombastic social commentary, according to Omar Kozarsky of Mahwah.

As evidence, Kozarsky points to Black’s play “One Slight Hitch,” a relatively gentle comedy that mixes domestic humor and farce in way that echoes early Neil Simon.

“People hear that Lewis Black wrote this (play), and they assume it’s two hours of people yelling nonstop at the top of their lungs,” says Kozarsky. “But it’s not like that. It’s fun and light.”

Kozarsky is directing “One Slight Hitch” for The Barn Theatre in Montville. The comedy opens tonight and runs through Feb. 6.

“One Slight Hitch” centers on Doc and Delia Coleman (played at The Barn by Tom Morrissey of Lincoln Park and Joanne Decoralis of Denville), a couple living in a suburb of Cincinnati.

The Colemans are preparing for the wedding of their daughter, Courtney (Danielle Pennisi of Cedar Grove), to a straight arrow named Harper (Austin Munroe of Nyack, New York).

But plans are disrupted by the arrival of a wild card: Courtney’s ex-boyfriend, Ryan (Michael Reddin of Totowa), a bohemian who is Harper’s diametric opposite. Complications ensue, as they are wont to do.

Observing this action is P.B., the Colemans’ younger daughter (Julia Majerscak of Montville). Since the play takes place in 1981, P.B. spends a lot of time bopping to the sounds of pop tunes on her Walkman. (Younger playgoers may need an explanation.)

Kozarsky admits that “One Slight Hitch” is meant solely to entertain. “I like to do things that make people think,” he says. “But sometimes, you need light-hearted fun.”

One of the other appealing factors is that the play has not been overexposed. It only received its New Jersey premiere in 2012 in a production at the George Street Playhouse in New Brunswick.

“Not a lot of people know this play, or even that Lewis Black wrote plays,” Kozarsky says. “He actually started out as a playwright, but he wasn’t making money at that, so he turned to stand-up.”

The language in the script may not be as explicit as Black’s stand-up routines, but it has its share of rude humor, according to Kozarsky. “I’d rate it PG-13,” he says.

“One Slight Hitch” has its share of slamming doors and abrupt entrances and exits. But Kozarsky is reluctant to call it an out-and-out farce. “It’s farcical,” he says.

Though the script may be light, it does touch on serious themes, Kozarsky observes. “There’s a conflict between the security of marriage and the freedom of being single,” he says. He adds that the resolution sidesteps the stereotypical happy ending.

The setting of “One Slight Hitch” is 1981, but Kozarsky says that the play is not a deliberate spoof of the Reagan years, in the manner of the movie “The Wedding Singer” or the TV series “The Goldbergs.”

“The play is being told from P.B.’s standpoint, and she breaks the fourth wall to recall how she was when she was 16,” he says. “But we’re not poking fun at how things were in the 1980s.”

Kozarsky hopes that audiences will accept “One Slight Hitch” for what it is: a pleasant way to spend a couple of hours laughing at silly antics. “It’s pure fun, and sometimes you need that,” he says.

A SLIGHT HITCH

WHEN: Through Feb. 6

WHERE: The Barn Theatre, 32 Skyline Dr., Montville

TICKETS: $18 ($16 for seniors and students at matinees only)

INFO: 973-334-9320 or www.barntheatre.org