Theater: “All of Me” starring Kyra Sedgwick

We’ve had rom-coms about email. We’ve had rom-coms about hit men. Is there room in the cultural universe for one about disabled people? You bet, and Laura Winters’ “All of Me” (New Group) is absolutely terrific.

The players: Lucy (Madison Ferris) who developed muscular dystrophy at age 16, and Alfonso (Danny J. Gomez) who has been paralyzed since infancy. As the play opens, the two sit in motorized scooters and make small talk outside a Schenectady hospital while waiting for their rides. Danny mentions that he is from Manhattan. “What are you doing here?” Lucy asks, horrified. “Did somebody die?”

This deadpan-humor interchange introduces the central conceit of the play: that is, Lucy and Alfonso, because of their disabilities, can communicate only by using text-to-voice devices mounted on their scooters. Thus every one of Lucy’s wisecracks is delivered in the calm, even tone of Alexa. Alfonso’s device is programmed to make him sound like Cary Grant. Even the awkward sparks of their flirtation are rendered in these synthetic voices. As their rides show up, they exchange phone numbers.

Does Lucy and Alfonso’s budding relationship have a chance? Not if the couple’s mothers have anything to say. Lucy’s bedraggled, overprotective mother, Connie (Kyra Sedgwick) is a manicurist, attempting to supplement her income by selling knives at home parties. Along with Lucy, she lives in a cramped, less-than-accessible house with Jackie (Lily Mae Harrington), Lucy’s older sister and Jackie’s stoner fiancee, Moose (Brian Furey Morabito) who makes money by gambling online.

Meanwhile, Alfonso occupies a stylish residence designed to fully accommodate his disability, funded by his unseen Argentine dad who is a big deal on Wall Street. Alfonso has come to Schenectady to put his Ivy League degree to use in a research position. His overpowering mother Elena (Florencia Lozano) however feels the need to insert herself into his new life. She vapes, drinks expensive wine and has issues with pain killers—along with issues about Lucy and her family.

Winters’ mordant LOL-funny dialog prevents the play from slipping into sentimentality. And the chemistry between Ferris and Gomez go a long way in making this evening believable and lovable. See it before it closes on June 16.

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