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Donald Marguilies’ deceptively simple Dinner With Friends is a wonderful script that deserves to be produced more often. This winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 2000 retains the sheen of society on the surface as a balance the roiling emotions beneath. It’s not the type of play you would expect Tempe Little Theatre to tackle. It has a frank way of speaking and deals with the types of issues rarely spoken of on their stage. However, as TLT readies to move into its new space, it is taking the opposite tact of Mesa Encore Theatre, which has moved forward into the Mesa Arts Center and back about 50 years in the canon. TLT is shaking up the status quo with this and its upcoming production of Hair, and while I am all for this forward thinking, I couldn’t help but notice with regret that barely more than a dozen people attended this pretty good production on opening night. Those that did, however, were appreciative.

This four-person play examines marriage and divorce through the eyes of two couples, Tom (Toby Ambrose) and Beth (Kim Rickels) on the outs while Karen (Terri Lee Dillon) and Gabe (Matthew Cary) are charting their way through the doldrums of middle age. The discussions and fights are frighteningly familiar to any married couples and the results and lack of conclusions are just as unsettling as they are completely understandable. Robin La Voie’s production is rougher and flatter than the script deserves, but this is understandable in the context of the company; allowances should be made for this tackling of a tough play. There are, however, some strong moments and a standout performance that balances the weaknesses.

The breakout performance comes from Ambrose as the philandering and fleeing Tom. Since I worked with him three seasons ago, he has really come into his own. No longer stiff and awkward, Ambrose has slipped into the skin of Tom, and the dialogue that comes from his character feels completely truthful. In the meantime, Cary is Cary; Everyman Gabe is a role that fits well into Cary’s repertoire. He is as he always is: amiable; chipper, and empathetic. The most obvious missing element is Gabe’s ultimate discomfort when dealing with emotions. Cary is so chipper and warm that it’s hard to believe him not being able to say the right thing.

The women offer thinner performances. It’s easy to turn Karen into a control freak, but as a balance to Gabe, it’s important that this is avoided. Dillon is a bit too strident, cold, and presentational in her performance. Tenderizing is in order for this food writing editor. Similarly, Beth’s flakiness is a large part of the performance, and can be presented in a caricatured way. Rickels does well with the first and second scenes, as well as the final scene, but when the setting moves to her and Tom’s first meeting, she makes the more obvious comedic choices. Shading during this visual artist’s early period would help.

Sharon Gonwa’s set is a nice set of three working spaces that transform well and are sufficiently lit by Bob Nelson to change the interior settings, though the exterior setting lacks some differentiation.