Ensemble Theatre has nailed a number of one-person shows over the years and it does so again with the hilarious and quietly unsettling Buyer & Cellar by Jonathan Tolins. It demands a confident, strongly energetic performance to make it work. Director Lynn Meyers smartly cast Nick Cearley, who maintains an almost laser-like focus built on a strong classical technique while performing six different parts with an effervescence that displays his joy onstage. Brian c. Mehring’s set, lighting, and projections become presences – almost characters – in themselves and that lends another level to exploring the play’s themes.
The Book That Inspired the Play |
Tolins points up the American addictions to celebrity gossip and rampant consumerism. What does it mean when a person’s self-image trumps how they connect with other people? Or is that the downside to stardom? When a person’s possessions become a replacement for their experiences, what does that say about their humanity? Meyers teases out that ambivalence without ever sacrificing the surface charm.
Nick Cearley* |
Though Meyers paces the show perfectly and Cearley displays almost perfect pitch, it’s a one-person, one-act play that’s about ten minutes too long. I don’t know what could be trimmed or cut and it won’t be since this is not the world premiere, but it’s the only cavil I have.
*Photo from ETC website
Buyer & Cellar runs through November 1. 2015.
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