Emerson Collins (Photo by Brandon Ravet)
Reviewed by G. Bruce Smith
The 6th Act at Whitefire Theatre
Through Nov. 10
RECOMMENDED
Here’s a fun and entertaining one-person show about an L.A. actor who gets a job in Barbra Streisand’s Malibu estate barn basement “mini mall” (weird, I know).
Don’t expect any great revelations about the sometimes-controversial superstar (that would be Streisand). Nor should you expect any character arc from the fictional Alex Moore, the aforementioned actor, but who cares? Buyer & Cellar is funny and completely absorbing (whether or not you are a Streisand fan), and performer Emerson Collins is absolutely charming.
The cellar “shopping center,” a real thing, comes to light in Streisand’s real book, “My Passion for Design,” which she wrote and for which she did the photography.
Playwright Jonathan Tolins uses this as a jumping off point to set up an intriguing premise: Streisand decides to hire Alex to be the shopkeeper for the various “stores,” including doll and antique dress shops, whose merchandise is stuff she owns. Babs herself is the only “customer.”
Collins plays four characters other than Alex: Barbra (of course); Sharon (the world weary Streisand assistant who hires and pays Alex); Streisand’s somewhat goofy husband James Brolin; and Alex’s boyfriend Barry (a cynical and unsuccessful screenwriter).
Most of the time, Alex is bored on the job, waiting for something to happen. But then Streisand makes an appearance in Bee’s Doll Shop. This leads to a very amusing bargaining session between Alex and Barbra over the acquisition price of a doll for which Alex has created a clever back story. Eventually, Barbra gets the price she wants by printing out a fake coupon for the shop.
From there, the relationship between the two develops into something ostensibly closer, though not sexually or romantically — after all, Alex is an out gay man. Streisand seems to open up to Alex and even show some vulnerability.
Alex is smitten, but Barry is skeptical of the adoring portrait Alex has painted of his boss. Barry’s cynicism becomes a turnoff to Alex, who finds himself torn. By the end, we get a clearer picture of Streisand’s sincerity, or lack thereof.
Director Larry Raben, working with a set that contains just a chair and a piano bench, as well as upstage projected slides (by production designer David Engel) moves Collins around the stage in such an organic way that you don’t even notice it. For his part, Collins is not only charming, but he inhabits each character fully. He does not do a perfect impersonation of Streisand and admits as much at the top of the show, but he gets it good enough. And it’s great fun watching him get there.
The 6th Act at the Whitefire Theatre, 13500 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks; Fridays, 8 pm and Sundays, 7 pm. the6thact.ludus.com. Running time: One hour, 10 minutes, no intermission.
