The one that got away.
We all have someone in our past who makes us wonder how different our lives might have been, “if only.”
But, “time only goes in one direction.”
Such is the premise of “The Pavilion,” a play written by Craig Wright and performed this week by the Allen Community College Theatre Department. 
Performances begin tonight at 7:30 and run through Saturday at the Bowlus Fine Arts Center. Tickets are $7 for adults, $5 for students, and free to ACC students, faculty and staff.
The show is not recommended for younger audience members because of language and content. It includes many curse words, discusses abortion and references alcohol and marijuana use.
Trevor Belt, director and head of the ACC Theatre Department, said he first saw the play about 10 years ago. This is his first time presenting “The Pavilion,” and he said he believes he has the right cast to pull it off.
He described the production as an opportunity to “take a step back, look where you’ve been, where you are, and then think about where you are going.”
Most of the heavy lifting is done by standout sophomores Maxwell Kays of Humboldt and Lexie Vega of Iola as star-crossed lovers Peter and Kari — and it gets pretty heavy with some poignant and heartbreaking moments.
Peter has returned to his hometown as the Class of 1987 celebrates its 20th reunion.
It takes place at a doomed lakeside pavilion, which will soon be destroyed to make way for an amphitheater.
Kays depicts Peter’s dark brooding to perfection. He’s never gotten over his high school love, and is filled with remorse for the hurt he caused during their breakup.
Twenty years later, he is determined to repair the damage.
The multi-talented Kays also gets a chance to show off his musical chops, playing guitar as he sings a melancholy tune.
Audience members will be well-acquainted with Vega, having watched her shine with mostly fun and bubbly roles in high school. Here, though, she shows new depth and maturity in a role that forces her to tap into the dark depths of despair.
Kari was left pregnant and alone in a small town when Peter abandoned her for college. She had an abortion, married a golf pro, and lived unhappily ever after in the same small town.
She’s not happy to see Peter again.
The chemistry between Vega and Kays makes it easy to believe they’ve known each other for 20 years.
They know how to share silence and space. The actors spend much of their time apart, keeping a notable distance between them as their characters navigate 20 years of hurt feelings. Later, as they start to heal, you’ll see them come closer.
THOUGH much of the focus is on Kays and Vega — it’s more or less the two of them nearly the entire second half — an exceptional supporting cast brings levity and lightness to what can be a very emotional production.
The cast features both familiar and new faces, with some remarkable performers who will be worth watching over the next couple of years.
One such actor is Jazmin Havens of Pittsburg, who leads the audience as the head of a trio of narrators. She’s serious, philosophical and engaging, sharply dressed in a black suit and holding a glowing blue orb as she traces the history of the universe through time.
She also plays a secondary role as a cuckold husband, and it’s impressive how Havens transforms herself with a manly redneck accent.
Other narrators include the effervescent Dixie Kerschenske of Lyndon and JieJie Means of Iola. They double as multiple other characters as well, along with a very protective and nurturing character played by Marissa Friend of Garnett.
Means is another familiar actor in a very different kind of role. In past productions, she dazzled in dance. Here, she’s angry and aggrieved as a scorned wife, and in a different role, ashamed as a cheating spouse who is pregnant but not sure of the paternity.
Supporting male actors Blake Hess of Garnett and Krais Baker of Yates Center also charm the audience with quirky characters. Hess shocks the audience with his delightful recap of callers to a suicide hotline. Baker is the annoyingly helpful drunk friend.
Joshua Clark of Iola was absent for Wednesday’s dress rehearsal but expected to be on hand for the production. Belt read his role — and no spoilers, but it’s one of the funniest bits with a rather dark take on relationships from a surprising source.
One of the most delightful performances, though, comes from freshman Austin Michaelis of Overbrook. He plays the stoned mayor, Cookie, who fears for his life because of his dalliance with a married woman. He’s the perfect politician: charming and obnoxious.
“THE PAVILION” is a story about time, Belt said in a director’s note on the program.
Upon seeing the play for the first time, he was struck by the temporary nature of the pavilion as a metaphor for the temporary nature of theater productions and time in general.
The past two years, under a pandemic, have redefined the idea of “time” for many of us, Belt notes.
“Our lives were put on hold,” he wrote. “What occurred a year ago can sometimes feel like yesterday. For others, it feels like a lifetime.”
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