Matt Dallal, Myka Cue, Andy Grotelueschen, Devin E. Haqq, and Michael Crane (Photo by Rich Soublet II).
Reviewed by Keelyn McDermott
The Old Globe Theatre (San Diego)
Through March 22
RECOMMENDED
Fiasco Theater’s Bartleby at The Old Globe Theatre is a shining example of Southern California’s immense capacity for theatrical excellence. Noah Brody and Paul L. Coffey’s adaptation of Herman Melville’s short story “Barlteby, the Scrivener” was commissioned by this theater and is here making its world premiere. Bartleby is an office “comedy” that follows what happens when one peculiar new employee, Bartleby (Micheal Crane), quietly excuses himself from society.
Firstly, the harmony between Lawrence E. Moten III’s scenic design and Emily Young’s direction in such a confined space teaches us something about theater’s power to accomplish a lot with very little. In this theater-in-the-round, the set features a large square turntable where most of the action takes place. This choice helps to aid transitions in setting and time.
These transitions, created by director Young and Chelsey Arce (Movement) are delightful, inventive, and effectively serve the story. As The Old Globe’s Artistic Director Barry Edelstein mentions in the program, Fiasco Theater is “renowned for the physical invention and expressiveness of its stagecraft.”
An interview with the director and co-playwrights Noah Brody and Paul L. Coffey describes how Fiasco Theater takes a minimalist approach – only giving themselves what they need to require the audience to engage with their imaginations. A moment in which some desks became a carriage comes to mind. Designer Moten III buys into this approach, having put secret compartments under desks to stash a blanket or having a prop that on one side looks like a bag of food but on the other is a bag of letters with “MAIL” written on it.
With the ingenuity and precision that comedy-in-the-round requires, this show needs extremely disciplined actors. In this outstanding ensemble, supporting characters are played by Myka Cue, Matt Dallal, and Devin E. Haqq, all playing multiple roles. These performers in particular execute elaborate sequences and expert physical comedy. In a setting where something is overtly comedic, one might feel more of a propensity to laugh just for the hell of it. At this show, laughs were heartily earned and from the belly. In one moment, even Crane’s stoic Bartleby had me giggling with simply an intense stare.
But carrying the emotionality of this show is Tony Award-nominated Andy Grotelueschen. Playing the “straight man,” Grotelueschen’s performance walks a line between slightly absurd and grounded, all the while delivering the show’s message of empathy.
For example, his character of “The Lawyer” encourages us to approach those “not contributing to society” with curiosity instead of disdain.
In program notes, the playwrights mention that this show explores what we owe each other and what norms we must follow to make society function. What we owe each other is carrying out our essential roles but also, and much more importantly, compassion to be able to do them in the first place.
Bartleby, like many people on the fringes of society, did not receive human empathy until it was too late. This was 1850. Times have changed very little in this regard.
The Old Globe Theatre. 1363 Old Globe Way, San Diego; Tues.-Fri., 7 pm; Sat.-Sun., 2 & 8 pm; thru March 22. , CA 92101. Running through March 22nd. Purchase tickets here. Run time 1 hour, 20minutes.
