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Disclaimer:
The reviewers' opinions are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of TheatreLouisville.org. |
Peer Reviews First Couple Directed by Michael J. Drury
If you've never heard of Jefferson Charles Beeker, don't berate yourself. He's not widely known. Beeker's primary vocation is that of minister at the First Christian Church of North Hollywood. First Couple is the only play (of four he's written) that's been fully staged. His The Current Mrs. Harrison had a staged reading in 2005 in Los Angeles. He wrote the book for a musical called Encore, based on a Shirley Temple movie, but I wasn't able to dig anything up about it. First Couple was first produced in 1995, and Beeker has recently updated the play to reflect the current political climate, and it is being seen in revivals throughout the country. Pandora Productions' artistic director, Michael Drury, chose this play to coincide with a momentous election in our history. He says that during the primaries, he wondered how long it would take before a GLBT person would run for president, a notion that was unthinkable during his childhood. As the play begins, freelance journalist Jason Lawrence (Mike Slaton) is enjoying a quiet afternoon at the upscale home he shares with Congressperson Blair Tyler (Brent Gettelfinger). Not one solidly colored piece of furniture is anywhere to be seen. Bordering on being too "busy," plaid walls compete with ornately decorated room dividers and oriental rugs. A silent butler (uncredited in the program) brings a tray of coffee. Jason's world is suddenly turned upside down by the announcement that Blair has been named as Vice President. Aurion Johnson, as television reporter William Archer, pops in to get the inside track on this groundbreaking event. Blair finds himself in a tug of war between Jason and Sylvia Porter (Susan McNeese Lynch), who has worked tirelessly for Blair and credits herself with his ascension. Sylvia is what I like to call a "concern troll," because she constantly reminds Blair that he has to be careful not to ruffle any feathers by being outwardly gay, although she doesn't come right out and say it that way. She reminds me of someone else on the national stage whose naked ambition keeps getting her in trouble. It's unfortunate that Sylvia, the only female in this play, is made to be the "bad guy," because it encourages people to view ambitious women with disdain. For example, she's made fun of for wearing sling-back pumps (although I never saw her wearing them). Blair advises her to get a boyfriend and "have a life." It always troubles me when I see such blatant anti-feminism in plays written by gay men. I don't believe this attitude is shared by most gay men in real life, but I often see it depicted in the theater. Why? At any rate, Sylvia has no redeeming qualities and Jason is pitted against her as he tries to define his role as First Gentleman after the President resigns from office, making Blair Commander in Chief. There are quite a few comic moments during this transition, and indeed, the play has been updated to resonate with the current state of affairs. In one hilarious scene, the characters wonder if there's ever been a gay president before. They irreverently ponder the age-old question of President Buchanan's sexual preference. It's been said that Buchanan was barely "in the closet." Andrew Jackson called Buchanan's longtime "companion," Alabama Senator William Rufus King, "Miss Nancy." Other wags called King similarly homophobic names. You can find them in a Google search, so I won't repeat them. The point is, we've already had a gay president, but an uncloseted president who represents a nonjudgmental constituency is unprecedented. Christephor Gilbert provides pitch-perfect comic relief as Parker Hayes, the First Gentleman's assistant. Gilbert's Parker is campy, yet not over the top. He's thoroughly likeable, the exact opposite of the grasping Sylvia. I look forward to seeing Gilbert, who appeared in two early Pandora shows, in more comedic roles. He's currently the artistic director of jan street dance theatre, and the wardrobe manager for Stage One. Pandora often features nudity in their shows, and this is no exception. The steamy seduction scene between the drunken first couple on the geometrically-patterned couch had the audience riveted on opening night. It was a riot of geometry, gymnastics, slurred words and matching Calvin Klein briefs. What fun! The running gimmick of a video projection of Archer's newscasts soon grew tiresome. The playwright took the easy way out of developing exposition with this device, instead of advancing it through action. Audiences don't need spoon-feeding. On opening night, there are always a few glitches and missed cues, but this one had more than its share. The actors often struggled to get their lines out, reciting dialog instead of acting. They often resorted to "hand acting" that I found distracting. Too often, in a play, the actors don't convince me they don't know what their next line is. In real life, we never know what we're going to say in response to what someone else says, yet actors do have that luxury. Their job is to forget that foreknowledge, but few do. Individually, the actors are all quite good, but they never really made connections with each other. There was no real "spark" on stage. I'm not sure who or what is at fault. Gettelfinger is so convincingly presidential that I wanted to go out and vote for him. Slaton is fine as the First Gentleman (thank goodness he wasn't called "First Dude"), but I'd like to see him take the role further — his transformation was simply too smooth. The program provided is as slick and professional as any Broadway show's, with no typographical errors. Audiences are also offered a copy of the Kentuckiana Gay Phonebook, a directory of gay-friendly businesses. Despite my criticisms, this is an enjoyable production that I recommend highly. The opening night audience was pleased, and I have no doubt the glitches will work themselves out. First Couple is a good distraction, with its humor and hope, from what has been the ugliest and most surreal campaign in American history.
First Couple
Posted Nov. 2, 2008
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