By Chuck Graham, TucsonStage.com
photo by Ryan Fagan
From left, Lesley Abrams, Taylor Rascher, Steve McKee and Emily Gates really are show people.
Keep in mind, there's more than one way to skin a cat. Do people still say that anymore? Sounds like it might be politically incorrect now.
What we are talking about here is the frothy new comedy at Live Theatre Workshop, “Show People” by Paul Weitz -- who received with his brother Chris an Oscar nomination for screen writing on the movie “About A Boy.”
Working alone here Paul has written a big warm hug of a play embracing all the eccentricities of a life on the boards. “Show People” is also the perfect play for Tucsonans hanging close to their air conditioners during these relentless triple-digit days of summer.
Set on an older couple and a younger couple, with a beautiful sea coast painting in the background, Weitz's dialogue is driven by clever behind-the-scenes jokes meant for everyone who truly loves live theater, ie., people who find big studio special effects pictures too adolescent and cable TV's predictable sitcoms too repetitious.
Leslie Abrams sets the pace as no-nonsense Marnie, a hard as nails actor even when she's playing sentimental characters.
Opposite her is Steve McKee as Jerry, a stage veteran for whom growing older hasn't been a kindly experience.
Here is the gist of it. Marnie and Jerry are career actors married to each other for many years. While their Broadway careers haven't made them stars, they are dedicated to the stage.
So when young Tom (Taylor Rascher) hires them for a private performance, Marnie and Jerry are all in. Tom is a wealthy young executive who needs a couple of actors to pretend they are his parents for a weekend. Tom wants to bring home his girlfriend Natalie (Emily Gates) to meet his “family.”
Of course Marnie and Jerry want to give a good performance, even without having an actual audience. So they keep asking what sort of personalities these parents have. Are they happy, angry, devoted, preoccupied, adoring, or what? Marnie and Jerry are determined to stay in character all weekend, continuing to keep improvising, no matter what.
Except of course, when they are alone without Tom or Natalie around. Then, Marnie and Jerry drop the acting bit and become their true selves.
Essentially, Abrams and Mckee are playing four people, which is a big part of the fun.
But then we notice how Tom and Natalie don't seem exactly right, either. Could Natalie be hiding something? Is Tom the true puppet-master who keeps jerking everyone around? Remember that comment about skinning a cat? Nobody gets murdered this time, although there is a gun involved.
As intrigue begins to permeate the action, logic is lost. Practically everything turns out to be different from what it seemed. Don't bother trying to figure out any of this in advance. Just relax and enjoy the jokes. Feel like a playhouse insider.
As for the production itself, director Christopher Moseley maintains a sprightly pace that builds with no intermission through 90 minutes of laughs and surprises.
Abrams creates the most aggressive personality. McKee matches her smooth timing, note perfect as the straight man. They would be terrific in their own play, working as a comedy duo like The Bickersons of classic old time radio fame.
Gates and Rascher give their roles that headlong youthful willingness to try anything, just to see what happens. Rauscher's final scene belongs on his personal highlight reel, for sure.
“Show People” continues through Aug. 24, with 7:30 p.m. performances Thursdays through Saturdays, 3 p.m. Sundays, at Live Theatre Workshop, 5317 E. Speedway Blvd. Tickets are $20, with discounts available. For details and reservations, 327-4242, or visit livetheatreworkshop.org
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