Would you step over the line, if it got you a date with someone really attractive? And if that person started urging you to change the way you dress, and your hairstyle, and more, would you do it, if there were an offer of intimacy implied? That’s what happens in this play as an icy beauty named Evelyn tells the meek, malleable Adam that he’s changed, even though he says he hasn’t.

“No, seriously, you have.”

“Yeah.”

"No question.”

“I don’t know, I still look…"

“You can definitely tell. You can.”

“Really?”

“Definitely.”

“Well, I’m glad.”

“I bet your friends say something. Twenty bucks!”

“Twenty bucks?”

“Yes. (laughs) That’s because you see you every day. In the shower, getting dressed.That sort of thing.”

“I don’t see you shower, or getting dressed.”

“No. I meant every day. I mean so far everyday…”

“I know. I’m kidding.”

This kind of role – the manipulator who’s so skillful that you can’t help watching compulsively -- brings out something extra in actress Stephanie Gularte. She’s charming, controlling, and ultimately very scary. “The Shape of Things” is two hours of lies, deception and rising tension, a thrilling ride through the darker side of human nature. The show marks an auspicious launch for Capital Stage. It will be presented on the Delta King in Old Sacramento through November 13.