For a while, Ethan was doing great in Chicago. He had a good job, a relationship that seemed strong, and was embracing the freedoms that a big city offers. Then the job, the relationship, and the big city merged to create a breakdown. It was time to go home to Ann Arbor.

Theatre Nova is presenting the world premiere of playwright Robert Axelrod’s Dry Summer. It’s a sensitive play about depression, alcohol abuse, and family relations. But it’s also a play that balances drama with humor, emotional pain with a determination to forge ahead.

Ethan loves his parents. But he had fully embraced Chicago and the freedom that it offered a young, Jewish, gay man with a good job and what seemed like a solid relationship. When it all collapsed, he had to come home.

Robert Axelrod writes, “Dry Summer is, in many ways, a love letter to Ann Arbor, the community where I was born and raised. The city has a vibrancy and vitality that is hard to put into words, but I’ve tried to capture the essence in some way, through this play.”

The play includes several references to Ann Arbor, including an important scene at a RoosRoast coffee shop.

Ethan comes home to his loving parents, who are confused as to why their successful son has decided to visit for a while.

To escape from his own problems, he interviews for a position with a neighbor woman, a one-time friend of his parents. She has a history as an alcoholic, but has been working to help others with their addictions. She’s reluctant to hire Ethan, but he reminds her that he doesn’t drink alcohol and never did. His job is to keep her sober, because the opportunities to fall back are great.

All this may seem heavy, but Axelrod blends humor and hope. Ethan is a catalyst for others even as he struggles in his attempt to escape his troubles in Chicago.

Director Brittany Connors has assembled an excellent cast. The family conversations are sharp, fast, and often funny. The darker moments are strong but not maudlin.

Laura Mandernack plays Diane, Ethan’s busybody mother, who clearly dotes on him. Mandernack has that crisp tone of the mother who knows best. Brian Cox plays Gary, the grumbling, advice-giving dad. Cox plays him as the guy who gives his son something to roll his eyes about, but is clearly supportive of his son.

Sarah Burcon plays Susan, who is serious about helping others but needs Ethan’s strength and trust. Burcon covers a wide range from tears and anger to moments of triumph and resolve, and makes each step clear.

The central character of Ethan is played by Nick Smathers, who is brilliant. He delivers Ethan’s sly, funny comebacks to his parents and a quiet, strong confrontation with Diane. He moves from the good son to the tortured young man who has not overcome his Chicago troubles. Smathers gets each of those emotions perfectly. He delivers Axelrod’s wry humor with just the right tone. The end is especially unexpected and the perfect touch as performed by Smathers.

In Axelrod’s Ann Arbor, people learn, change, and grow from all they’ve learned.

Hugh Gallagher has written theater and film reviews over a 40-year newspaper career and was most recently the managing editor of the Observer & Eccentric Newspapers in suburban Detroit.   

"Dry Summer" runs through November 2 at Theatre Nova, 410 West Huron Street. Performances are Fridays at 8 pm, Saturdays at 3 pm and 8 pm, and Sundays at 2 pm. For tickets and more info, visit theatrenova.org.