Asparagus: "Jeremy Rolla's attractive, imaginative set and lighting designs. . ."

The core of this tale of an artistic couple -- she's a playwright turned screenwriter, he's a painter -- examines the intellectual and emotional boundaries that artists ignore or violate, and the people they hurt to create their art.

Jeremy Rolla's attractive, imaginative set and lighting designs and a dedicated cast provide ample and sympathetic support. Most notable among performances is John Gresh's sensitive rendering of a grieving father whose tale becomes fodder for a frustrated writer.

But "Asparagus" goes in multiple -- and often misleading -- directions and leaves the audience with questions unanswered and tangents unresolved by its abrupt conclusion.