Once again, our Dear Michael decided to take to the stage, and again, we decided we simply MUST see his performance! Here then, are our musings on said performance, accompanied by descriptions of the emotions involved ….
Karen: Well here we are again Bridget, welcome back to JSH and thanks for helping me out with this review of “Scarcity” ….
Bridget: Thanks Karen …. as always it’s a pleasure and an honour to be involved ….
Karen: So, would you like to start us off by telling us about your first impressions …. ?
Bridget: I was so tired that Sunday we were due to see the play ….(thanks to noisy neighbours and equally vocal plumbing at our hotel the previous night) …. but it’s surprising how reviving a bowl of oatmeal and a glass of freshly-squeezed orange juice can be! Besides, I was excited and looking forward very much to watching “Scarcity” for myself, having read the many reviews on JSH. Would the language be really offensive? Would I find anything amusing in it at all? Would Michael trip up again like he did in LLD? Most importantly, would I be able to stay awake for the whole show?
I really needn’t have worried! The whole experience was wonderful …. starting with my first reaction to the theatre …. what a charming little venue! On a genteel street lined with trees, a red-bricked edifice, (originally a church, as I’m sure most of you already know) …. diminutive in stature but perfectly formed for the purpose …. delightfully converted with comfortable seating and plenty of leg-room, if somewhat chilly in the middle of October! Karen, I know you had problems at the Huntington, did you feel better at this venue?
Karen: Oh it wasn’t THAT chilly …. But most people were wearing these heavy coats and caps. I thought the weather was great. I LOVED it and I think I brought it back to Atlanta with me. Yaaaayyyyy!
I was concerned since I’d heard the venue was so small. When we went to Boston and saw Michael in LLD at the Huntington theatre, the seats were so packed together you hardly had room to breathe and they weren’t all that comfortable. But not at the Atlantic …. small as it is …. you had plenty of room.
Speaking of the seats …. I couldn’t believe how CLOSE we were. We had 3rd row seats and they were almost right in front of the stage so I’m sure you can imagine how good a view we had of the actors’ performance.
What did you think of our seats, Bridget?
Bridget: I thought they were wonderful …. we did so well to get that close to the stage …. it gave us a brilliant view of the set, which, seeing as how we arrived fairly early, I enjoyed observing ….
Karen: Yeah …. it really gave us a chance to check out every detail …. I’m still wondering what that little framed needlework was ….
Bridget: The attention to detail was exceptional, I thought …. obviously stuck in some sort of time-warp, the characters’ home was depicted as a clash of 70’s designs in varying tones of beige and yellow ….every item well-worn and badly patched-up …the improvised TV cabinet of a plastic crate was inspiring!
Karen: Yes – Did you see the video on the NY Times of how it all came together?
Bridget: Yes I did see that …. it was pretty amazing the trouble the designer went to in order to get the set to look so authentic.
Karen: What gets me …. is that the materials won’t be used again …. even after all that trouble and expense …. too bad they can’t recycle the set somewhere down the road ….
Bridget: Yes …. it’s a shame ….
Karen: Does it make you wonder how Michael feels about that …. ?
Bridget: I suppose it does …. but, being used to theatre as he is, I’m sure he just accepts that’s the way of things ….
Karen: I don’t know … knowing how conscientious he is about the environment …. I’m sure he’s made a few suggestions ….
Bridget: Probably – going back to the set for a moment …. I wanted to mention the lighting and how good it was at conveying the right atmosphere for the story …. it seemed to cast a yellow fog over proceedings, mingling as it did with the profuse amount of cigarette smoke exhaled by the cast …. like the product of several factory chimneys!
Karen: You mentioned at the start that you had kept up with all the reviews I had posted here at JSH …. were you surprised that there weren’t more positive than negative reviews?
Bridget: I honestly thought most of the reviews were fairly positive …. with only a couple of absolutely negative ones …. it really doesn’t matter though, because “Scarcity” did run to packed houses AND got extended for a week …. so what do they know?
Karen: I don’t know …. I felt most of the reviews were negative ….at least as far as the language was concerned …. and the adult content …. but … they are just the opinions of one person usually … and it falls back to that individual’s views ….
Bridget: Of course!
Karen: The reviewers as far as the actors are concerned seemed to be in agreement though …. no-one in the cast got a bad review …. As I remember, Michael got some good remarks for playing his role so well ….
Bridget: Oh yes …. no surprise to us …. but after the verbal bashing he got for LLD …. this was definitely a welcome improvement ….
Karen: Yes it was! Someone was obviously blind to what a fine, talented actor he is ….
Bridget: Yes he is! And I’m sure everyone reading this will agree whole-heartedly …. Which brings us to the actual play itself …. I needn’t have worried about falling asleep …. the lights suddenly were cut, but within seconds, the play opened to very loud rock guitar music …. I nearly fell out of my seat! [LOL] The lights came back up and there were Kristen and Meredith, sitting on the sofa, reading tarot cards ….
I held my breath, (a little distracted by wondering when Michael was going to appear) …. I didn’t have long to wait, however …. he arrived with a bang! Michael’s character, Herb, came stumbling through the door, handcuffed, outrageously drunk and accompanied by a vomit-covered police officer (Louie, played very well by Todd Weeks).
That was quite an opening, I thought, how about you, Karen?
Karen: It was a great opening …. Todd and Kristen (as well as Michael) nailed their parts perfectly …. it was quite a hoot to see Kristen pushing Michael around and shoving him into the chair. That girl is nearly as tall as he is …. then screaming at Louie to remove the handcuffs …. and do you remember while we were standing in the lobby of the theatre …. hearing Todd warming up his voice?
Bridget: How could I forget? He was very loud!
Karen: He was very loud wasn’t he?! But it’s good that he does that to protect his voice …. he does quite a bit of yelling during the performance ….
Bridget: There was a great deal of yelling (and swearing) from just about all the characters!
Karen: Yes there was …. but did you notice …. that Todd was rather hoarse towards the end …. and NO-ONE else had done the voice warm-up beforehand ….
Bridget: Well observed, hon …. no, I didn’t notice that …. but, by then, I was totally wrapped up in Michael’s presence on stage and everyone else seemed to have faded away somewhat. [LOL]
Karen: [LOL] – Who wasn’t?
Bridget: From that very first scene, I thought Michael took command of the stage and ran with his character’s faults and foibles right to the very end when he took his bows …. and I appreciate that it couldn’t have been an easy role, especially during Herb’s darker moments ….
Karen: Yes, he did really well with that part of his character …. and I’ve wondered, knowing how much he loves children …. if he had a difficult time with playing an abusive father ….
Bridget: Well, the abuse is only hinted at really …. and I thought it rather bizarre that Herb’s very inappropriate comments to his daughter seemed mainly to be played for laughs ….
To be honest, I found Martha’s physical roughness (bordering on abuse) more distressing ….
Karen: Martha was extremely rough on them …. while Herb just made snide remarks and yelled a lot ….
Bridget: Yes …. but he DOES have a conscience …. One of the most poignant moments for me was where Louie out-right accuses Herb of abusing his daughter and he asks Martha “I don’t hurt Rachel do I?”
Karen: That was an incredible scene …. the emotion in Michael’s voice and on his face …. it made me want to go comfort him [LOL]
Bridget: Yes, it brought a tear to my eye ….it seemed like he really was concerned that, in his usual drunken state, he may well be capable of harming his child …. and he honestly couldn’t remember if he had …
Karen: Same here ….
Bridget: I think Meredith did a fine job for one so young, how about you, hon?
Karen: I thought she was great …. she really nailed her part. She had all the emotions down, her lines …. never missed a beat. She’s got a promising future ahead of her if she continues in this profession …. and it was great to see how her whole family supported her and was there for her.
She seemed so grounded for her age too …. did you read the interview I have on the site hon?
Bridget: Yes I did …. she seems very sweet. I hope she stays that way …. acting can be a cut-throat business ….
Karen: Me too …. I’ve seen so many child stars crash and burn …. and I hope her family will always steer her in the right direction and she has the smarts to listen to them ….
Bridget: Speaking of child stars, I was disappointed we didn’t get to see Jesse in the role of Billy …. though Brandon Espinoza seemed to cope well with stepping into his shoes.
Karen: I was disappointed as well. As I told you, I have seen Jesse’s film The Squid and the Whale and was very much looking forward to seeing him in this. But Brandon did a great job.
Bridget: I don’t know quite how that young man kept a straight face during the scene where Ellen, his teacher, has her hand down his trousers!
Karen: Professionalism? [LOL] …. I don’t know how either of them did …. I thought it was quite amusing…. awkward and clumsy ….
Bridget: Yes …. it was, although that particular scene started off rather darkly I thought …. the way Billy was kind of taunting Ellen …. almost bullying her ….
Karen: Oh yes, I agree …. that was quite mean wasn’t it?
Bridget: Yes, similarly, the scene where his sister, Rachel joins in with belittling the teacher, insulting her etc. I found somewhat distasteful …. it was the only part of the play I can honestly say I didn’t enjoy ….
Karen: Same here …. I really felt for Ellen when this was going on ….
Bridget: I suppose I did pity her a little, but the strange thing is…. I didn’t find her a sympathetic character at all …. seeing as it was pretty obvious from the start that it wasn’t JUST Billy’s brain she was interested in, but another part of his anatomy entirely!
Karen: Well …. my feelings here stem from the fact I’ve been made fun of all my life ….but you’re right …. she wasn’t a sympathetic character ….
Bridget: Oh yes …. I think that’s why I was so uncomfortable with that scene too, having been bullied as a child …. but Ellen seemed to almost invite the nasty comments with her demeanour …. with this unhealthy interest in Billy, she left herself wide open to that kind of abuse …
Karen: She certainly didn’t try too hard to protect her character did she?
Bridget: No …. and I have to say, out of the whole cast, I found Maggie Kiley’s performance the most stilted … though, in her defense this is how the part may have been directed or written….
Karen: That could well be ….
Bridget: Moving over to Todd Weeks, who played Louie …. we spoke briefly about him earlier, but, what did you make of his character?
Karen: I thought Louie had a genuine interest in Martha’s well-being even though he just seemed to wanna get in her pants …. he did support her family when Herb couldn’t …. providing them with food to eat and helping to pay their bills …. very solid performance by Todd.
Bridget: Do you think Martha deliberately encouraged his obvious attraction to her?
Karen: I don’t think so …. Louie kept mentioning his love for her since they were kids …. and Martha was obviously still head-over-heels in love with Herb.
Bridget: Yes, she was, wasn’t she? Despite him being a pretty useless husband and provider ….
Karen: Yes definitely … the thing I didn’t like about Louie’s character was the way he kept putting down his wife …. of course Herb put her down too … but still ….
Bridget: Oh yes …. that WAS upsetting …. and a little too close to home for me, since I’ve been on the receiving end of similar insults from my ex-husband – I know how hurtful it can be ….
Karen: It can be VERY hurtful …. Todd is a fine actor … I really enjoyed his performance …. and meeting him afterwards. What a nice guy! He signed one of my programs and asked if he could sign the other one too. He was very appreciative of my comments about his performance … I wanted to tell him what lovely blue eyes he has …. but I didn’t wanna embarrass him!
Bridget: I didn’t notice his eyes, but yes, he is a very good actor …. it was a shame we didn’t see more of Gloria (played by Susan Finch) …. I think the play would have benefited from it ….
Karen: I think so too … she had a very small part ….
Bridget: She did well with what she had though …. and she coped admirably when something flew from her handbag, unscripted, into the audience …. and wasn’t Kristen quick to react, quietly asking someone to hand the item to her so she could slip it into Gloria’s hand before she made her exit?
Karen: She never let on like it even happened did she?
Bridget: And, of course …. Michael stole the show …. even though the main focus of the story was the children ….
Karen: I don’t care who Michael’s on stage with …. he’s gonna steal the show ….
Bridget: Well, we ARE somewhat biased where Michael is concerned!
Karen: It’s the truth! Michael is so talented …. with his facial expressions and what not ….he’s just incredible …. and such fun to watch …. [ok, maybe I’m just a LITTLE biased LOL]
Karen: So …. what did you think, Bridget …. when Herb came home with a job …. and some real money ….?
Bridget: I find that rather difficult to answer actually …. the play seemed to end quite abruptly …. everyone was happy and celebrating …. Martha and Gloria were talking babies …. pizza was on the menu …. then the spotlight came to rest on poor little Rachel ….the lights went out and that was it …. finished ….
Karen: It did end too soon, unfortunately …. but I think after listening to all of Louie’s and Gloria’s insults and having Louie accuse him of hurting Rachel … it seemed to me like Herb decided it was time to turn his life around …. too bad it ended so soon after that ….
Bridget: Yes it is …. it has to be the quickest two hours I’ve ever known …. it just flew by ….
Karen: It sure did …. but then …. we got to talk to Michael afterwards….
Bridget: Ah yes …. but THAT’S a whole other story …. isn’t it hon?
Karen: (chuckles knowingly) Yeah …. I guess it is ….
Bridget: Before we end our discussion …. did you have a favourite scene? Mine was when Martha and Herb were having a quiet few moments, and talking about how they started out so hopeful when they first married …. I very nearly cried at that bit, it was so sweet ….
Karen: I had two favorite scenes actually ….. The one you just mentioned …. That was a lovely scene. I too was close to tears. My other favorite was at the very beginning when Louie brought Herb home in handcuffs [*growls*] …. and Martha yells at Louie to remove them and then she starts pushing Herb around …. the three of them were so very convincing ….
Bridget: Oh yes, they were indeed. So Karen, what do you say about Michael doing another play? Are we gonna be there do ya think?
Karen: Wherever he’s at next…. we’ll be there …. and hopefully for more than just one performance this time.
Bridget: I agree whole-heartedly my friend …. and I really can’t wait!
Karen: Me either! Hopefully he won’t wait nearly a year and a half before landing in the theatre again …. maybe this time on Broadway …. ? Though I would like to venture to Boston again ….
Bridget: Oh yes …. Boston would be lovely …. and I look forward to doing another “Review from the Heart” with you then ….
Karen: Yes, this has been fun …. once again, I thank you for joining me in doing this review.
Bridget: It was MY pleasure hon …. and Karen, thank YOU for your continuing hard work on JSH and for keeping us all up-to-date with Michael’s career.
Karen: You are most welcome …. as I told Michael, I really enjoy doing this for him …. and for his fans ….