Dennis Bush has given the world a very solid comedy/drama in The Sloppy Abandon of Excavated Love. The play has excellent performances and very good direction. The only problem is that Bush has written more plot lines than he has characters. That means there are too, too many to effectively develop in this approximately two-hour show that is at no time devoted to absurdism.

The glue of the production is the performance of Chris Ikner as Marcus. He brings his extensive experience to the set in a way that makes him the focal point of almost every scene even when he is only peripherally involved with the scene. That professionalism provides the anchor for the rest of the cast to play off and raises the level of the entire production.

Mark-Eugene Garcia as Kelvin in a show written more comedically would have been the comic relief. Having had physical relationships with all the other male characters and an emotional relationship with the lesbian next door, Bush could have easily made him a gay stereotype but chooses to make him a rather insecure narcissist who is actually searching for a long-term love (while pushing it away whenever someone gets close). The character is more tragic than comic.

The play begins with John Trindl’s Aaron walking naked into the living room of Marcus’ and Kelvin’s apartment after rising from Kelvin’s bed. Marcus confronts him there and the first impression of Aaron is that he is concerned only with himself and dismissive of the feelings of anyone who is not him. Bush deftly gives Aaron more and more depth throughout the play and Trindl skillfully manages the transformation.

Sula (Grace Maddux) is the lesbian neighbor who has a key to Marcus’ and Kelvins’ apartment “for emergencies” but lets herself in whenever she feels the need. Often she leaves her lover at home as she tries to manage the guys’ drama. Bush makes her the only one who knows ALL of the secrets of the apartment next door, but she keeps those secrets until they begin to rise organically. The character hates secrets and confrontation and seeks escape whenever things become difficult (usually through drinking games). The audience comes away from the production feeling that Sula, in the role Bush assigns her as Shakespeare’s fool, is the most honest and caring character Bush creates.

Last to appear on stage is Collin Handley’s Jason. Having been a once long term (and perhaps future) lover of Marcus and short-term lover of Kelvin, Jason becomes the catalyst for all the secrets of the house to be revealed. But the character never seems to belong in the apartment and Bush might make the play stronger by not giving the character an on-stage presence.

Lester Thomas Shane supplies quality direction. He makes sure there is always action on stage and never puts the action in the center if the stage forcing the audience to constantly shift its focus and stay involved.

As mentioned above, there are far too many plot lines to make the play as effective as it should be. There are at least seven plot lines to go with the five characters and some of those plat lines become more forced than is desirable. The play should probably be closer to a 90-minute one act than a two-hour two act to keep the audience fully involved. Bush has provided an interesting discussion of HIV in the current world of gay culture, but it needs to be a little more focused to be as effective as it can be.