Patrick (Jeffrey Jones) is an extremely well-paid film actor just having finished filming a project for 20th Century Fox in Rome. Conrad (Jerry Phalen) is a Catholic priest in Rome for a convention and a look at the mother church. Patrick met Conrad on the street and invited him to his luxury hotel suite for a drink and some conversation, their only apparent connection being that they both live and work in Los Angeles.
Jones plays a man with some serious problems. He is a compulsive buyer of exquisite clothes, primarily shirts and footwear, and just as compulsive in organizing his suitcase. The trait is countered with is his inability to stay put for more than a couple of minutes. He moves from bed to chair to couch to standing, to pacing. Just what is going on inside Patrick's brain?
Contrasting this antsy behavior is Jerry Phalen's Conrad, who can stand in one place for long, long periods of time. While sociable, he seems weary, apprehensive, never completely at easy, even though Patrick is the perfect host. Phalen's character has a past that seems to want to surface but doesn't quite make it. It is hard for him to sit, impossible for him to relax.
Thus, two excellent actors interpret characters whose dialogue, by playwright Mart Crowley, is constantly in stark contrast. The story moves slowly, but dramatically towards a climax and a shattering resolve. Their performances will make you think and will awe you with their contrasting powers.
Christian De Anda plays a waiter who, for the most part, is limited to speaking in Italian. Tiffany Delgado's wardrobe, casually elegant for Jones and black and priestly for Phalen, fits the characters perfectly even down to the underware that Jones is packing. The set is quite elegant. Sally Stockton's lighting gives a nice richness to the set by director Raygoza.
