A romantic falling-out threatens the future of humanity in They Broke Up

The inevitable mid-20s breakup can hit you like a natural disaster, as is the case with Amy and Brett’s uncoupling in Skyler Tarnas’s They Broke Up. What’s exceptional about the breakup in Avalanche Theatre’s world premiere is that it’s accompanied by a series of cataclysms that threaten to wipe the human race out entirely. They Broke UpThrough 11/22: Thu–Sat 7:30 PM, Sun 2; also Mon 11/16 and Wed 11/18 7:30 PM; Rivendell Theatre Ensemble, 5779 N. Ridge, avalanchetheatre.com, pay what you can ($35-$45 suggested) At rise, a friend group prepares to celebrate Brett proposing to Amy after eight years of dating. No spoiler warning is needed, as per the title, to figure out how that goes. The resulting two hours with an intermission contains the friend group’s best efforts to bring the lovebirds back together. They’re waylaid, of course, by killer birds, a potential asteroid, and the machinations of a right-wing political party composed of cannibals.

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