Random rants, fixed pauses and finishing sentences distinguish No Refund Theatre's production of Boston Marriage not only as a piece of theatrical endurance, but as a comedic obstacle course designed by the re-inventor of American theatrical language.

"Manning up" to this bold challenge, NRT will undertake David Mamet's Boston Marriage in two free performances at 8 p.m. tomorrow and Saturday in 111 Forum.

"This is going to be hard to pull off, but it's really funny and each time I read [it] I find something else that's funny," assistant director Bill Curran (junior-film and video) said.

A drastic depart from Mamet's masochistic works, his successes include American Buffalo and Glengarry Glen Ross, for which he received the Pulitzer Prize. Noted for his profane and highly stylized discourse, his grasp of the American language and disregard for stage direction makes him a taxing choice for any cast.

"[Mamet] has really interesting plots and characters, but all his plays focus on the language," director Caitlin Cassidy (senior-theatre and secondary education) said. "He's very brisk, his language is very exact, sharp, grating and sometimes very rough."

Lizz Collins (sophomore-theatre) agreed that it's been incredibly difficult. She confessed that when she started, her accent sounded more Australian than British.

Although the group had only two weeks to rehearse, Mamet's "force in the theatre world" and appeal of Mametspeak drew NRT to perform the piece.

"It's Mamet and you don't get to do Mamet often," said Laura Davies (junior-film and video and English), who plays Claire.

The title is derived from the 19th-century term "Boston marriage," defined as the sharing of households between upper-crust women who lived together independent of men. Although never intended to describe anything more than a non-physical relationship, Mamet clearly suggests otherwise in this play. The story unfolds in Anna's drawing room, where two Victorian women wittily butt heads in search of their own happiness.

"The [lesbian relationship] is almost not an issue because the love is so genuine and the play is about how they feel about each other," Curran said.

In what is then a broken "Boston marriage," Claire moves on and finds a new partner. She wants Anna's consent to allow her "young friend" to spend an afternoon in their home. In order to bring in additional monthly income, Claire and Anna become mistresses to various wealthy men. The plot twists when Anna discovers Claire's new lover is the current man's daughter.

"It's just this awkwardness the entire time because it's a lover's quarrel," Davies said.

Marian Hamilton (sophomore-history) said the melodramatic Anna uses every tactic she knows to get her young lover to stay. She attempts to make Claire feel guilty, to appeal to their history, to attack the merit of the other girl. The third character of this play, the maid, bears the brunt of most of Anna's volatile temper.

"My role would be that [of] comic relief just as things begin to get uncomfortable, just to give Anna a reason to berate me," Collins said.

Boston Marriage will be NRT's first show of the season, and while under an extreme time crunch, the cast's confidence is rooted in the power of the story's message, Curran said.

"Relationships can come and go, but there are those people that will always be permanent," Curran said. "Everybody wants that supreme love, but it's going to be a bumpy and funny road to get there."