Theater Review:

With wine-colored couches, ancient floral tapestry and newspapers strewn across the room of an apartment on the lower east side of New York City, the intimate setting of “Visiting Mr. Green” isn’t the only thing that will charm you.

Written by Jeff Baron and directed by David Rose, the Colony Theatre’s second production of the season is a delightfully funny comedy with a deeper meaning that’s sure to move you while leaving praise for the performances and production.

Starring Jack Axelrod (“My Name is Earl,” “Grey’s Anatomy”) as Mr. Green and Antonie Knoppers (“The Hoax,” “Guiding Light”) as Ross Gardiner, “Visiting Mr. Green” tells the tale of an unlikely pairing. When Ross receives a six-month sentence to visit Mr. Green once a week after he almost runs him over while driving, both parties are none too pleased.

Forced together in discomfited circumstances, Mr. Green and Ross get off to a bad start with the former refusing help.

“I don’t want strangers bothering me,” he says.

As time goes on, however, Ross begins to realize the wall Mr. Green has put up, stemming from a recent tragedy that time has not yet healed. Only after Mr. Green discovers that both share a common ground in their Jewish heritage does he start to open up to the man he initially called a murderer.

As their relationship progresses, both men come to a deeper understanding by sharing life stories — Mr. Green tells Ross of the persecutions he endured because of his religion, and Ross shares stories about his work life and education.

Things get climactic, however, when Mr. Green tries to convince single, not-looking-to-mingle Ross he needs a woman in his life. To Mr. Green’s shock and disgust, Ross declares that he’s gay.

“Maybe you don’t know this,” Mr. Green says calmly, “but Jewish boys are not faygelehs,” faygeleh being a Yiddish term denoting homosexuality.

Despite pleas of understanding from Ross, Mr. Green goes so far as to declare that Ross and those who are Jewish and gay like him are “finishing the job for Hitler” because of their inability to have children.

As Ross and Mr. Green do their best to carry out their six-month mandatory visiting sessions, a tale of understanding, empathy and unexpected discoveries emerge, showing that friendships are forged and life circumstances are changed by the most unlikely of visitors.