“Fully Committed” a Wicked Holiday Delight!

Holiday fare can often be hackneyed, vapid, or sickly sweet; luckily, New Rep’s production of Fully Committed is the perfect antidote.  Sitting in the audience, the relief of my fellow theatregoers was palpable, as we laughed, groaned, and gasped in delight at the wicked and wry script from Becky Mode and the astonishing performance(s) from Gabriel Kuttner. 

The show is a fast-paced send-up of the weird, wonderful, horrible, and quirky characters to be found in the world of high-class dining in New York City.  The story follows a day in the life of typically-nice Midwestern struggling actor (Sam), who is (mistakenly) solely responsible for the reservations department at a fancy eatery in Manhattan.  Kuttner, who gives us a likable and understandable put-upon Sam, also plays the dozens of horrid or bizarre customers trying to get a table, along with the slightly-sadistic chef and four or five of the other restaurant staff.  His ability to switch personalities in the blink of an eye – what accent work! – is breathtaking, and often blindingly funny.  His antics often reduced the audience to helpless laughter, but he never paused for the entire 75-minute show, mirroring the situation of poor Sam, who can’t even take a break for a quick lunch.

The director (Bridget Kathleen O’Leary) and sound designer (Bill Barclay) also deserve particular mention.  The timing of the sound cues was near-perfect, which can’t have been easy in a show that must include several hundred telephone rings and intercom buzzes.  All in all, this is New Rep at its best; excellent acting, design, and direction, coupled with an edge of dark humor.  I cannot recommend this show highly enough.  It unfortunately only plays until Dec. 30, so be sure to get your tickets soon!

~ Shauna Shames, New Rep Reviewer

“Holiday Memories” this Holiday Season

--Victoria Petrosino, New Rep Reviewer

New Rep’s “Holiday Memories” retells two of Truman Capote’s short stories “The Thanksgiving Visitor” and “A Christmas Memory.”  Both are semi-autobiographical accounts of Capote growing up in Alabama, focusing on the rituals of a family preparing for the holidays: dreaming of Thanksgiving turkeys, collecting pecans for fruitcakes, and finding the perfect tree.  Though some of the traditions are antiquated (such as a trip to the local bootlegger to buy whiskey), the language of the stories is poetic and immersive and the setting fully captures the spirit of the holidays.

Jon Savage’s scene design creates a warm, well-worn setting for the production.  Tools, empty picture frames, flannel shirts, and books are collected almost randomly on wooden shelves along the sides of the stage.  The result is a background that is at once familiar and isolating.  All of the objects give a contained, shut-away impression that suits the nature of the stories: they are familiar and present, but only memories.

Similar to New Rep’s season opener “The Kite Runner,” Russell Vandenbrouke’s stage version of the Capote stories uses an older narrator to re-live the events of his youth; however, “Holiday Memories” uses this structure more successfully.  Marc Carver as Truman Capote brings introspection and sincere reflection to the events of his childhood.  In the second act story “A Christmas Memory,” he looks back on Miss Sook’s (Adrianne Krstansky) fruitcake ritual and remembers how they saved all year and labored for days to send the cakes to relative strangers, such as the bus driver who waved at them or to passing missionaries.  He reflects: “Is it because my friend is shy with everyone except strangers that these strangers, and merest acquaintances, seem to us our truest friends? I think yes.” This rumination gives the narrator purpose in the story-telling experience.

Holiday traditions are deceptively unique.  New Rep’s “Holiday Memories” is an interesting glimpse into the traditions of another generation, but everyone can find something familiar and relatable in the cast and setting of the production.

Treasured Holiday Memories

by Frank Furnari, New Rep Reviewer 

Holiday Memories presents us with two, somewhat autobiographical glimpses at Truman Capote's childhood, offering an entertaining evening of holiday fare.  The evening is broken up into two acts, the first is "The Thanksgiving Visitor" where we see Buddy/Truman as a boy around 7, who doesn't fit in with the other children and his best friend is Sook, a relative in her 60s.  While Buddy does not have many friends his age, the town bully torments him frequently.  One Thanksgiving, Sook takes it upon herself to invite the bully over for Thanksgiving dinner and what transpires over dinner is not what you might expect.  The second half is "A Christmas Memory" where we again see Buddy and Sook, but now it is fruitcake weather, Sook's annual tradition of making fruitcakes for many people including the President.  The process of getting and paying for the ingredients as well as the interactions between the two are very touching.  

The stage version by Russell Vandenbrouke has both the young Buddy (Michael John Ciszewski) and older Truman (Marc Carver) on stage at the same time.  Truman serves both as the older Buddy as well as the narrator, however since the play centers around the young Buddy, the character of Truman doesn't add much to the story – one expects Truman to have a few scenes as an adult, but other than a brief moment we don't get that.  Aside from that, it is a well-written and engaging play.  Adrianne Krstansky is wonderful as Sook; she embodies the shy, childlike nature of Sook without making her into a caricature.  Michael John Ciszewski, a sophomore at BU, is great as Buddy imbuing the role with the sensitivity and a childlike -yet wise beyond his years quality and expression.   

The set designed by Jon Savage was an intricate work of art itself.  The house gives the sense of a family who doesn’t have much money, but is resourceful - taking items from a variety of places and repurposing them.  It was very cool to see the way things would just flip out from the wall to reveal a bed or a shelf of fruitcakes.  Behind the house was a scrim with an area for actors (which wasn't always used effectively).  Behind that was a screen where additional scenery was projected (schoolhouse, kitchen) which gave the production a storybook feel with the images used, adding memory/storybook feel.  

Holiday Memories is not your typical holiday fare, but that's a good thing for those who may not want to see Christmas Carol yet again.  It is a look back at holidays of years past, but not through rose-colored glasses.  While not sugar coating the memories, it is still very enjoyable and may even make you feel nostalgic about your own holiday memories.