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Went last night and saw the Springboard reading of Again and Against by Betty Shamieh. Being that it was a 2 character play that ran for 100 minutes, I would say that Shamieh did a good job holding attention and creating intriguing characters. It also is worth seeing for the mere fact that Beth Wood directs Raymond Bobgan and Chris Seibert. That said, **Spoiler Alert coming at you so don’t read on** the transition of Omar the Arab FBI agent from a “translator” bumbler to the “head of the department” mastermind at the end was a bit unbelievable, as were a host of traits he exhibited: anger, physical violence, language, and certain phrases (such as the use of “kid”—“don’t throw your life away, kid”), that I just didn’t buy.

I learned in discussion after the play that this play by Shamieh has been staged before, on the continent. That surprised me. The play felt unfinished and unfocused and as if it were searching for what it meant. It is a play in which truth is the actively sought-after goal and the “truth” of these characters is never clear. I thought this was a flaw in the play and a part of the reading/development process. After learning that this play has been staged before, it is likely that the inability to establish truth is intentional on Shamieh’s part. That is what I must conclude about the play. Almost like the inability to establish meaning in Waiting for Godot, there is a fundamental inability to find out what is true—for the audience, for the characters, and perhaps for the actors.

The play covers a lot of volatile turf from Arab American treatment to 9/11, to terrorism and the ideas of what that means—from both the “American” perspective and the perspective of others toward or about Americans. Sometimes the play got a bit preachy and journalistic, trying to report facts—for instance about the U.S. policy (unstated but enacted) of handing over terror suspects to Syria for “debriefment”. With Syria having more flexibility in its approaches to detainees than the U.S., which is “hamstrung” by a thing called the Constitution.

There is a great amount of humor in the play, which is important, again, as the thing would be depressing and possibly didactic if left un-interrupted or if the rhythm didn’t alter in the playing. There are some surprisingly strong moments, one of which comes from Omar the Arab FBI agent describing the murder by an Arab father of his daughter for disobeying him. That moment alone is worth seeing the piece and makes me think one very personal concern of Shamieh is the treatment of Arab women by Arab men. A sad fact of this play is that this amazing story from Omar is later “taken away” in a brief moment where Omar says that he made it up. That is part of the confusion of this play, and perhaps the disappointment. I understand that there is much to be gained by playing with the nature of truth and that this has been successfully done in other genres—think [amazon_link id=”B00000F214″ target=”_blank” ]The Usual Suspects [Blu-ray][/amazon_link] for instance. I just don’t know if it is effective here, as there is nothing for me to hang my hat on or walk away with except a strange vague suspicion about something. And the thought that maybe, maybe this was her point… but I can’t be sure.

The big draw for this reading was seeing Chris Seibert and Raymond Bobgan acting together. It was worth it. If you’re on the fence about Springboard or this piece in particular: go and see it. With Beth Wood directing and Raymond and Chris starring it is something to see and be a part of.

At Peter Roth’s invitation and encouragement I drove over to Pittsburgh last Saturday night to attend Midnight Radio 3: Cowboys & Aliens at Bricolage.

Using my trusty GPS I landed nearly infront of the place on Liberty Avenue, parked, and promptly went into a proximate bar and had an Arrogant Bastard.

At quarter to 9 the lobby at Bricolage was packed. I was handed a small form to fill out where I had to choose whether I would be on Team Alien or Team Cowboy: I went the cowboy route for obvious reasons. Bricolage threatened attendees with an audience participation segment that would result from a drawing of the form midway through the show. The lobby is a storefront, and in the two storefront windows landscapes where setup (desert and space) wherein you could don some costume pieces and take photographs. Complementary munchies were provided of the cowboy and alien type: nachos and salsa and jello shots. Beer, etc., was available with a contribution. There was a mingling, party atmosphere penetrated occasionally by the huckstering of a man selling swag.

At around 9 the house was opened and the lobby streamed in. We sat up and toward the back left and then looked upon the stage. Perhaps “beheld” is a better word, as the stage held a wonderous toyland. At stage right there was a selection of microphone booms and arms and microphones and radio sound effect set pieces: a car door framed by wood; a small door with frame; boots in a box of gravel; a large piece of sheet metal to wave, rattle, or strike, etc. Upstage center were mikes at left and right while down center were three mikes facing left, right, and up with music stands. At left was another mike and further up the tech booth. On the upstage wall there was a projection which currently showed the Midnight Radio log. Up center was a good old-fashioned “On Air” indicator, currently off. And up left was an “Applause” sign, dark.

After the announcements, the stage space dimmed and the performers walked to their respective stations. A flamboyant and stylish mike check was undertaken all about the stage, with mikes emerging from odd locations and demos of shoes walking on gravel, strange voices, odd effects, etc. Then the show began.

There were commercials, announcements, Peter’s piece (Hank & Buster v. Orson Welles), Fake News –think Fox News and Glenn Beck with very little need for exaggeration at all, really. Plus an actual radio program (The Mimic) from the 50’s. Great musical interludes were provided by Slim Cessna and his son. Midway through the two raffle winners were brought out for the team alien/team cowboy segment (like the gameshow Password) The characterization of the actors was fantastic as they switched from role to role and did voice impressions as well as hustled around to create the various sound effects. It was, at once, theater and most definitely radio, too. Apparently, at some point, the episodes will be available on iTunes.

Midnight Radio in Pittsburgh is definitely worth going to see and worth the 2+ hour drive over.

Another blog about the event.