I Am My Own Wife written by Doug Wright
directed by John Langs
When: Sunday, October 4, 2009, 7pm
Where: Studio Theatre at the Roselle Center for the Arts
(University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware)
What: Play, Drama, One-Man Show, Professional Theater
It certainly takes a talented actor to make a one-man/one-woman show work. To sustain the audience's attention over the span of two hours has to be a daunting task. Add playing upwards of thirty roles by yourself into the mix, each with their own distinct voice and many with their own mannerisms and I can't fathom the difficulty.
Michael Gotch takes on the challenge and admirably succeeds. Gotch's main persona here is that of Charlotte von Mahlsdorf, a German transvestite who grew up in Germany during World War II, facing the oppressive nature of the Nazi army. While Gotch doesn't change out of a black skirt, black shirt, grayish apron, a bandanna-ish hairnet, and a string of pearls during the whole show, it's evident when he shrinks down and hunches over that he's portraying Charlotte. Her meek manner, however, shouldn't be mistaken for timidity...she's certainly not just going to stand by the sidelines, evidenced by some awful circumstances that she overcame in her life.
The other main character on display here is the playwright Doug Wright himself. He discovered Charlotte as a college-age guy and the play is essentially told from his perspective as he unveils a series of interviews to the audience that he undertook with Charlotte during the early 1990s. It's quite neat how he's able to switch back and forth between Doug and Charlotte and how we as an audience have absolutely no problem deciphering who is speaking when. Not only is the accent different, but Mr. Gotch has unique mannerisms for nearly every character.
While I can't say enough about the actor, I must say a word about the set. I've seen three shows now by UD's Resident Ensemble Players and each show has had a gorgeous set. This show was in a much more intimate setting -- less than 200 seats, seated in the semi-round (sort of), with a much smaller stage -- but the set was something to behold for a local theater production (really, for any production, for that matter).
Once again, the UD REP certainly proves a worthy addition to the state of Delaware. Unfortunately, I caught the last show of this production, but the theater group in general is one that should not be missed.
Michael Gotch takes on the challenge and admirably succeeds. Gotch's main persona here is that of Charlotte von Mahlsdorf, a German transvestite who grew up in Germany during World War II, facing the oppressive nature of the Nazi army. While Gotch doesn't change out of a black skirt, black shirt, grayish apron, a bandanna-ish hairnet, and a string of pearls during the whole show, it's evident when he shrinks down and hunches over that he's portraying Charlotte. Her meek manner, however, shouldn't be mistaken for timidity...she's certainly not just going to stand by the sidelines, evidenced by some awful circumstances that she overcame in her life.
The other main character on display here is the playwright Doug Wright himself. He discovered Charlotte as a college-age guy and the play is essentially told from his perspective as he unveils a series of interviews to the audience that he undertook with Charlotte during the early 1990s. It's quite neat how he's able to switch back and forth between Doug and Charlotte and how we as an audience have absolutely no problem deciphering who is speaking when. Not only is the accent different, but Mr. Gotch has unique mannerisms for nearly every character.
While I can't say enough about the actor, I must say a word about the set. I've seen three shows now by UD's Resident Ensemble Players and each show has had a gorgeous set. This show was in a much more intimate setting -- less than 200 seats, seated in the semi-round (sort of), with a much smaller stage -- but the set was something to behold for a local theater production (really, for any production, for that matter).
Once again, the UD REP certainly proves a worthy addition to the state of Delaware. Unfortunately, I caught the last show of this production, but the theater group in general is one that should not be missed.
thrust stage, jeff. thrust stage.
ReplyDeleteThen again, I can't seem to remember a single playwright for their proper play, so...