What is it that brings a divorced wife to the foot of Mount Gunnison in Paonia, Colorado,to her ex-husband whose demeanor and living quarters advertise anything but inviting after 20 years of estrangement?

That is the question woven through the two-person show of “Annapurna,” Key City Public Theatre's fourth production of the season, opening this weekend.

“The play is full of mysteries,” said David Natale, who plays one half of the cast as Ulysses, about how the play proceeds to shed light on the history of the characters, as their background is only known to them until they allow the audience in.

“Gradually, there are intimations of events that happened long ago,” said Natale. “As they reveal their characters … you get to know these people more thoroughly, but not those big events that make the situation currently what it is. It's exciting for the audience to find out about these people, but they're held in this suspense, to find out about what had happened in the past.”

The show came about when Natale brought the script to Denise Winter, Key City Public Theatre's artistic director who will fill the role as Emma, the ex-wife finding herself inside Ulysses' most humble abode. While she was in the thick of season planning mode last year, Winter put the play in consideration for the 2017 season, but could not find space for it. When planning Key Theatre's 60th season, Winter wanted a “powerhouse play,” leading her to choose the small but impactful production as Key City's fourth in the year.

She goes through several scripts, but there are some that “truly surprise” her, “Annapurna” being one of them. Another reason Winter took on the project was that she could see herself playing a part on stage rather than behind the scenes, which rarely, if ever, happens.

“It spoke to me personally,” she said. “It was so out of the norm, that I wanted to pay attention to that.”

Ulysses

Natale said he could identify in a lot of ways with the character of Ulysses, saying he could see himself in a similar position as Ulysses, if he had not changed for the better earlier in his life. He added he was never as “messed up” as Ulysses, but added the audience will identify with the character, who is living with the mistakes of his past, as well as his denial and inability to take responsibility for the consequences of his actions.

“Living with something that made her life play out in a certain way, and then 20 years later looking back … that idea really fascinated me,” Winter said, adding like Natale the challenge of the role was the intrigue.

“It struck me as a real challenge,” Natale said, whose natural voice, full of empathy, contrasts with his character's, which is brash and unapologetic. 

While rehearsing, the difficulty has become more fun with time.

Throughout the three weeks of performances, Natale's dress, or lack thereof, puts himself out there. As the script dictates, Ulysses is king of his abode, unashamed in his slippers, “greasy apron not much larger than a loincloth,” and an oxygen tank strapped to his back inside a medical backpack, with a tube running under his nose and a large medical bandage covering the length of his chest. Being in various states of undress is not a new endeavor for the actor, having previously been covered in just pillows in one production, and also in just a diaper for a production of “King Lear.”

“You definitely have to be out there,” Natale said, adding the screenplay does not allow time to rest between scenes and there is not an intermission.

Emma

As for Emma, Winter explained she has a New Englander aura, with a choice weighing down on her for those many years. Winter is separated emotionally from Emma, as Winter has never had a child and whose decisions in her life have centered around the role of a mother.

“I can relate to some of how her mind works, and how she makes decisions, in her strengths and weaknesses. There are some things in this play that I have never suffered,” Winter said. “Certainly, the way that relationships play out for her, I can relate to.”

Though there are heavier elements within the play narrative, Natale said the audience should expect laughs from the comedic elements to the chemistry the actors share between each other and the characters themselves.

“Whenever an actor takes on aspects of the character, they will relate to some incidents in their own lives while others do not,” said Connor Fitzpatrick, director of the production. “There is no character any actor takes on where there isn't something in their own life to a greater or lesser degree, (that contributes to) creating and fulfilling that character.”

Performances

Staging a two-person play, which is only accompanied by sound and light crews, is not unusual for the Key City company, though it is their second such production of the season of the sort, the first being June's “Daddy Long Legs.” Although Winter and Natale are the only characters, Winter does not think of it as just them, as there are other elements that come into play.

Fitzpatrick said the set is truly the third character of the play. From one glance, an audience member will get the sense of Ulysses' living space, cluttered with debris, but open without any walls. Instead,there are frames to see through, always creating a connection between the two exes.

“It's filled with all these things that are specific to his journey that brought him to Colorado,” Fitzpatrick said. “It's a set and prop designer's dream to create this really cluttered hoarder complex environment.”

Terry Tennesen is the set designer, who has collaborated on a series of other sets for Key City Theatre since 2011. Winter chooses productions for their realism or hyper-realism, such as the recent “Wolf at the Door” that showed in April.

In charge of dressing every nook and cranny, D.D. Wigley, equipped with an art history background, researches every detail of the trailer. She also consults with Natale for his insight into Ulysses as a character.

“It's the collaboration between these four people we have to live in,” Winter said.

Along with the actors, the set, lighting and sound, there will also be a scent cue that comes into play. Fitzpatrick did not divulge what that may be, for want of keeping audiences in suspense. He did note an unseen character, Ulysses' dog Jennifer, only “appears” through barking offset. Staff had to go through different variations of yips and barks to get it just right, as well as other music pieces to be used between scenes.

“Even a two-hander requires every aspect of stagecraft to put the show together,” Fitzpatrick said.

With a subscriber base, Key City Public Theatre has had sellout shows during its 60th season, which will not be any different with “Annapurna.” Because the play runs just three weeks, Winter encouraged prospective audiences to purchase their tickets as soon as they can.

“It's been a successful season … but it means tickets are selling fast and in advance,” Winter said.