It’s really a question of soul mates. In the case of “The Last Wide Open,” on stage now at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, it’s also a question of an effusive and energetic woman, a stoic and sarcastic Italian man and a restaurant called Frankie’s. The latter three, over the course of three so-called “movements,” intersect, crash and coalesce into one another to prove the soul mates thing.

This quirky, emotional play journeys between a handful of different possible outcomes for two restaurant workers. Lina, played by Kimberly Gilbert, offers an emotional, sometimes grating performance as a waitress. Roberto is her Italian counterpart, played by the convincing Marcus Kyd. I say convincing because after looking at his credits and his surname I don’t think he’s actually Italian, and his accent is pretty good. They are star-cross’d lovers, or at least, you hope they are. They come dangerously close to togetherness for 82 uninterrupted minutes.

By the way, this is a performance that is 82 minutes with no intermission. Settle up with the restroom beforehand.

A particular device playwright Audrey Cefaly uses is song. Strumming a ukulele, Lina sounds folksy and bruised. I was moved by her frank, acerbic words. Roberto would pull out an acoustic guitar, and effect an American folk singer with a vague Italian flavor — less poignant, but still cute. The fact that they both interact directly with the crew member makes it interesting.

Another device Cefaly relies on is breaking the fourth wall. The cast addresses the crowd often enough for it to be “a thing” and even refers to the play itself. It’s one of very few performances where I’ve seen it pulled off successfully — it almost feels like the emotion is too big to pretend. It explodes out of the “acting” and becomes reality. I think Cefaly had something like that in mind in writing it that way.

I saw “The Last Wide Open” on Valentine’s Day. It’s hard to argue that it’s a great romantic comedy, for the simple reason that it’s so painful and different. However, it has all the things you know and love from a romantic comedy:

• Goofy, seemingly incompatible lovers,
• who don’t know they are in love,
• then realize, “Oh sh*t, we are in love,”
• but maybe it’s too late?
• We can’t let it be too late!
• …No spoilers.

“The Last Wide Open” plays through March 10 in the smaller Shelterhouse Theatre. Take someone who enjoys laughs, can follow the clues and will love it when foreshadowing comes crashing down like a plate of fettuccine alfredo flung hard by a distressed wife.

John David Back is a Cincinnati native who lives and works in OTR. He’s an avid reader and a mediocre writer who loves the experience of art and beauty. Tell him what he should experience and send fan mail to johndavidback@gmail.com.