At a glance

“Bakersfield Mist” Eclipse Theatre Company 670 Lakeview Plaza Blvd., Suite F, Worthington 614-881-0382, www. eclipsetheatrecompany.org 7:30 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays through Oct. 22 $18, or “pay what you can” on Thursdays value but also its spiritual worth,” Leahy said. “Maude feels as if her life hasn’t meant very much. Now she wants to accomplish one big thing: finding and saving an artistic masterpiece.”

Although the art expert dislikes her, Maude is willing to give him a chance, Leahy said.

“But the sparks do fly. They’re like an odd couple,” she said.

“When he makes his disdain for her obvious, she reveals her feisty personality and fights back. He’s correct about her limited education and (lower) class, but she’s smarter than he imagines.”

Stefan Langer plays Lionel Percy, a New York consultant for an international art-research foundation.

“Lionel comes off as elitist and pretentious at times, but when it comes to art, he’s actually a true believer,” Langer said. “He loves how art can move the human spirit.”

Although he doesn’t expect the painting to be authentic, Lionel checks it out as part of his job.

“He thinks it will be a very quick visit to declare it a forgery and get out of there,” Langer said.

But the visit becomes confrontational.

“There’s class warfare from the start, with him an elite member of the art world and her largely disconnected from the world of culture and museums,” Langer said. “What they begin to learn is that they are both affected by art deeply, but for different reasons.”

For the two-actor play to work, both must develop convincing chemistry.

It helps, Langer said, that he and Leahy have known each other since 2001 and worked together at Rosebriar Shakespeare Company.

“She’s a terrific scene partner,” he said. “We have a very natural rapport.”