"Wonder of the World," Little Fish Theatre, San Pedro, CA

I used to think that Kelly, Woody Harrelson’s girlfriend in the TV series Cheers, was a bit off, not because she had a closet full of Barbie doll heads but because she seemed so unlikely (wholesome, squeaky-clean, girl-next-door) to have such a secret.

Kelly’s predilection for decapitated diva dolls pales in comparison to the secret that motivates David Lindsy-Abaire’s funny and insightful Wonder of the World, directed by Holly Baker-Kreiswirth for The Little Fish Theatre.

Whatever prompted Cass Harris (Brittney Kalmbach) to skip out of her marriage to Kip (Stephen Peirick) – he came home unexpectedly for lunch; otherwise she would have cleared out cleanly– had to be a lulu. Oh good Lord, it was.

Suddenly resolved to do the 267 things she’s always wanted to do (have an affair; learn Swedish; wear a wig, et cetera) she finds herself free from a marriage that squelched her spirit, in the company of Lois Coleman (Geraldine Fuentes), another refugee from an awry marriage.

Their pilgrimage takes them to Niagara Falls, site of hopeful beginnings (aka marriages) and fateful endings (the realization that said marriages are but the triumph of hope over experience). Cass makes the acquaintance of Captain Mike (Bill Wolski), who skippers boat trips near the roiling cascade. Kip doesn’t give up hope, engaging the services of a couple, Karla (Daryl Hogue) and Glen (Frank Farmer), formerly purveyors of yarn, to tail his errant wife.

The telling of the story may be funny but at heart it examines the way in which couples deal (or don’t) with relationships; and asks whether the revelation of a secret found in the back of sweater drawer can sink a marriage.

In her treatment of the way each character dealt with loss, Baker-Kreiswirth set up the secret and its denouement perfectly. She ensured that Peirick’s Kip was hapless, kind of a schlep, loyal in the spirit but certainly not in the flesh. The way he dealt with Cass’s departure was flawed in execution but sweet in intention, - in short, he was clueless - which rings true in this marriage of quiet desperation.

That Kalmbach’s Cass was exuberant in her newly found freedom. Her list, not the stuff of such monumental dreams as reaching the peak of K-2, bungee jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge, were all the more endearing because they were so run-of-the-mill. Crossing items off her list also trumped living the life right in front of her.

And that Fuentes’ boozy Lois served up a wonderful portrayal of resentment amok. She really had the most to lose – and was probably a little off-kilter to start – and so her goal to carry the annihilation to an ultimate end made the most insensible sense.

The therapy session/game show with the clown-garbed Janie (Margaret Schugt) was a spot-on testimony that the importance we attribute to living a meaningful life lies just beyond the reach of most people.

Performances are 8pm, Friday & Saturday, 7pm, Sunday (excluding the day before Labor Day). The show runs until September 20. Tickets are $20-22. The Theatre is located at 777 Centre Street, San Pedro. For more information call (310) 512-6030 or visit www.littlefishtheatre.org.