The Language Archive

Poor George (Eason Donner), the linguistics professor who struggles to speak what's in his heart. Julia Cho's play tells the story of his struggle to record a vanishing language spoken by battling spouses (Shaleen Schmutzer-Smith and Scott Divine) who prefer to fight in English, the language of “hatred,” while his wife (Jessa Berkey) leaves him, and his assistant (Elizabeth Holzman) pines away for his love. It's a fascinating look at the power of language and human emotion, directed by Benjamin T. Ismail, with a fantastic set by Brian Watson. Th, F, Sa 8pm. Through 8/23. $10-$20. Big Idea Theatre, 1616 Del Paso Blvd.; (916) 960-3036; www.bigideatheatre.com.