Back in 2009, when the Merritt-nominated Out the Meadow was first staged, I raved about how invested I was in what happened to the play’s down-in-the-dumps singer and damaged-but-charming handyman. But this year’s production at Parrsboro—with its bigger set and smaller script—just didn’t wow me in the same way. I still found the writing beautiful, but I found that Natasha MacLellan and Christian Murray as the mismatched couple lacked the heat that MacLellan and Graham Percy generated in the original production, making it harder to buy into their co-dependence and harder to feel sympathy for their plight. The play is still by times amusing and sad, and Lee J. Campbell does a fine job reprising his role as the shit disturber Malchie, but with so much riding on the central relationship, there needs to be more chemistry. –Kate Watson