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First Metis Man of Odesa is a problematic love story told by the lovers themselves.

Edmonton playwright Matthew MacKenzie met Ukrainian actor Mariya Khomutova in 2018 in Kyiv while they were both workshopping a new play. She didn’t feel any spark, and he was too shy to tell her how he felt, but he started writing to her the moment he returned to Canada. Eventually, he invited Khomutova to join him in Toronto, where they began an actual courtship, and it was anything but easy. First they had to deal with COVID, then Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which necessitated having her mother move in with them in Edmonton, and a baby that wouldn’t sleep.

We know everything is going to work out because they are telling the story themselves, which removes much of the tension. It is all the more remarkable then, that when their relationship threatens to fall apart, they make the moment seem so real and urgent. There are many moments like this that seem unrehearsed, giving their play such a natural feeling.

MacKenzie lets the audience know at the top of the Theatre Calgary play that he is not an actor, but will try his best to hold his own opposite Khomutova, who is classically trained and just ‘three handshakes away from Stanislavski, the Russian master of natural acting.’ This juxtaposition of two very different acting styles is part of the charm of First Metis Man. MacKenzie is hilarious in the sequence where he tries to get his young son to sleep and crawls into the crib with him, only to knock it over when he tries to surreptitiously climb out. You seem to experience it with him, as he does all the miming so well.

MacKenzie’s trip back to Ukraine on the first plane out after COVID restrictions are eased is hilarious and fruitful, courtesy of a group of demanding Americans. He tells it with a naivete that is refreshing.

Khomutova pulls at the heartstrings when she describes a friend’s trek through a war zone, and when she talks of her mother’s ordeal in escaping from Kyiv. She is able to convey a gamut of emotions without ever seeming to push for them.

The few times MacKenzie and Khomutova kiss are particularly poignant because it is so real.

This production boasts technical excellence. Aaron Macri’s sound and Amelia Scott’s projection designs are exceptional, as is Daniela Masellis’ lighting and set designs. Director Lianna Makuch makes certain the production is never static, and that the actors use the set and set pieces, so that nothing on the Martha Cohen stage is ornamental.

At one point, Khomutova turns one of the chairs into a bicycle as a young woman rides through the rubble of a war zone. Khomutova and MacKenzie move one of the pillars from the back of the set to change the configuration of their apartment. It’s amazing how effective these simple gestures are.

Scott uses the arch at the back of the stage for her projections, so they are mostly fractured, as is this memory play itself. She immerses us in the invasion of Ukraine by projecting smoke, clouds and bomb blasts. All of this is simple but evocative.

Though First Metis Man of Odesa is part of Theatre Calgary’s season, it is being performed in the Martha Cohen Theatre, which is the home of Alberta Theatre Projects. The intimacy of the Martha Cohen enhances the experience of this little play.