Family curse puts a fire under son to find a wife fast

The title of Prince Gomolvilas' play, "Big Hunk O' Burnin' Love," is meant to be taken literally. The play prominently features the twin fires of love and spontaneous human combustion, linked inextricably by a family curse to the fate of a Thai-American man. Sure, you say, spontaneous human combustion is a myth, but it's a myth made moderately believable by the boundless internal energy of the Pork Filled Players cast at Northwest Actors Studio.

The Pork Filled Players are best known as a Seattle Asian-American sketch-comedy group — this is, in fact, their first effort at producing a play written by an outside author (Gomolvilas is an award-winning San Francisco playwright). And their roots do show in this effort, directed by "Sex in Seattle" veteran Miko Premo, which sacrifices some drama for comedy.

Despite the inherent zaniness of the premise, Gomolvilas' play actually has quite a bit of dramatic heart. The parablelike tale revolves around Winston, a second-generation Thai-American who finds out from his parents that a family curse will cause him to literally go up in flames if he doesn't marry by his 30th birthday. Winston is understandably skeptical but, doomsday being a mere four days away, he indulges in a frantic bride search to be safe.

The search, which spans everything from mail-order teenage brides to club-hopping desperation, exposes Winston's lost confidence and stagnation — qualities which Winston must quickly banish if he is to avoid his fiery fate.

As the increasingly sweaty Winston, Jose Abaoag brings a fevered energy to the proceedings which keeps the pace, if by glossing over some emotional truth. As his unlikely love interest, Sylvia (his best friend's wife, who has just been diagnosed with cancer), Kellen Kaiser brings the most subtlety to the proceedings, balancing comic timing with authenticity.

The play (and the audience) benefit from the environs of the Northwest Actors Studio Cabaret space, where comfortable couch seating gives the illusion that you have invited the Pork Filled Players to perform in your living room.

One can't help but root for the actors, for the characters and for Winston in this unconventionally romantic tale.