Review: "Smiley" Offers a Happy Beginning at Open Space Arts

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A celebration of queer love and relationships at the heart of Pride Month, SMILEY offers a heartwarming take on an “opposites attract” romantic comedy trope.

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A celebration of queer love and relationships at the heart of Pride Month, Smiley offers a heartwarming take on an “opposites attract” romantic comedy trope. The play was written by Spanish playwright Guillem Clua and premiered in 2012 in Barcelona, Spain. After extended runs throughout Europe and Latin America (and inspiring a Netflix comedy with the same name), it is making its North American English language premiere at Open Space Arts. Set in Barcelona, the story revolves around bartender Alex (Seth Kobs) and architect Bruno (Ayden Lopez). A chance voicemail to the wrong number sets off a first date that leads to love in unexpected places.

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When the play opens, Alex is working through a flurry of emotions as he leaves a voicemail to a lover who has ghosted him — anxiety, desperation, disappointment, anger. Rambling non-stop into a red rotary phone, he doesn’t realize he has misdialed the intended phone number, and the message ends up on Bruno’s phone. Intrigued by the man on the other end, Bruno calls back, and the two end up connecting over previous failed relationships. Deciding to meet at Alex’s bar, the men quickly realize they have nothing in common: Alex likes to party and go to the gym, whereas Bruno comes off as a know-it-all and references obscure movies. The meeting turns antagonistic until the sexual tension finally boils over, but neither man is willing to admit that they want to spend more time together, chalking it up to their contrasting personalities. They go their separate ways and cope through distractions, but their hearts are eventually pulled back to each other.

Both performances by Kobs and Lopez are superb, as the chemistry between Alex and Bruno is evident in the frenetic bickering, sardonic quips, and playful banter that ground the play. Kobs opens and closes the show with commanding steam-of-consciousness monologues in the guise of voicemails. At one point, Lopez embodies five different side characters, each with their own quirk, and one impressive scene sees him switch between two different characters in short succession for a brief one-man show. Alternating between the two men’s perspectives, the story moves through its 90-minute runtime quickly with fast-paced and energetic dialogue. Occasional asides to explain gay European parlance to heterosexual audience members humorously break the fourth wall and inject some winking educational anecdotes.

This production is directed by Jack Dugan Carpenter and stage managed by Reign Drop. Despite a small stage, scenic design by Cory Busch, lighting by Ellie Humphrys, sound design by Sean Smyth, and costume design by Dominique Favre help create immersive vignettes, whether that be a thumping bar for a surprise birthday party or a quiet bedroom post-sex. The show cleverly utilizes the confined space by maximizing movement, and even the support beam in the middle of the room is employed to convey delineation of both space and personality. Being in close proximity to the actors means you can witness every look of longing and distress that crosses their faces, especially during one scene of physical passion, coordinated by intimacy director Greta Zandstra.

While the basic premise doesn’t reinvent the romcom, it asks questions about what one looks for in a romantic relationship and whether a couple truly knows whether they should be together. Watching two men fall in love spotlights nuances of the gay community and offers representation, and yet the desire for human connection is universal. A red thread motif underlies the story, representing destiny and foreshadowed by the red phone cord entwining our two characters at the beginning. The beats are familiar, but it's comforting and fulfilling to witness all the same. To paraphrase Alex, we might not know if our relationships will have a happy ending, but we can guarantee a happy beginning. At the end of the day, isn’t that all we can ask for? :-)

Smiley will play one more weekend in Open Space Arts' hyper-intimate 25-seat theater at 1411 W. Wilson through June 21. Tickets for Smiley are $30.00 ($25.00 for students and seniors) and can be purchased at the link below.

Photo credit: Abbas Taybali

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_Originally reported by [BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/chicago/article/Review-SMILEY-at-Open-Space-Arts-20260613)._