Laura Coover and Kevin Scott

RECOMMENDED

Money doesn’t buy freedom or love. But it can cushion life’s pratfalls; it can restore the sense of civility and choice that poverty takes away. Eclipse Theatre Company’s production of Rebecca Gilman’s “Blue Surge” looks at two people struggling to leave their hardscrabble upbringings behind. They discover that to succeed in life, they must acquiesce to it.

Curt (Kevin Scott) is a cop humping it up the departmental ladder; Sandy (Laura Coover) is a prostitute with no qualms about her profession. Curt attempts to help her leave a life he’s convinced is beneath her, but his efforts to improve their lots spin out of control.

Coover and Scott are immensely likable performers who capture the vulnerability of two decent, at-risk people. Nathaniel Swift and Sasha Gioppo are clever and fun as co-workers who revel in the chaotic life their friends are desperate to leave. It’s an accessible, poignant portrait of longing. (Lisa Buscani)

Eclipse Theatre Company at The Victory Gardens Greenhouse, 2257 N. Lincoln, (773) 404-7336. Through May 3.