Terrence McNally’s “It’s Only A Play” is George Street Playhouse’s (GSP) invitation to--the coat room--of a party, where we meet the mordantly funny denizens of the entertainment industry, whose monumental egos are paralleled only by the hyperbole of their public compliments and the vitriol of their private bon mots. McNally’s work is reflective of his creative genius, and a fitting encomium to one of the many great losses to COVID during the pandemic. Superb writing and brilliant sight gags make this a classic with a cast of brilliance! Kevin Cahoon returns to GSP, having directed the critically acclaimed “The Nerd” and wastes no time as he puts us in medias res in the heart of NYC.
Gus P. Head (Doug Harris) is a young acting hopeful whose first night in NYC is a gig as a coat check guy at the opening night party of a brand-new play. Starstruck as he is by high-fiving Denzel Washington and meeting Al Pacino, he is impressed by former Broadway snd current TV star James Wicker (Zach Shaffer) and the other people he meets, a new kind of Animal Farm. This includes returning-to-Theatre star Virginia Noyes (Julie Halston), who is wearing an ankle bracelet and reporting to her parole officer, wunderkind director Sir Frank Finger, OBE (Greg Cuellar), angel Producer Julia Budder (Christine Joy Johnson), expounding playwright Peter Austin (Andy Grotelueschen), and delightfully smarmy critic Ira Drew (Triney Sandoval). This full two-act play (YIPPEE!) is a theatrical "Everyman," where each of these iconic actors embodies the character. This is poignant, with a critic’s review that says a great deal about every aspect of a play’s production, including the vituperative nature of some reviews. McNally’s brilliance resides in his name-dropping talent for sketching the humanity and inhumanity that exists in every one of us. We all have feet of clay and in the end, laughing at our own foibles is our saving grace.
Fine moments abound–the running gag of each celebrity’s coats provides constant amusement: Sandoval’s Ira Drew’s look channeling Mel Brooks; Halston’s Virginia Noyes (delicious pun!) is Baby Jane meets Gloria Swanson; with Johnson’s Julia Budder acting as the Mrs. Malaprop of New York City. Grotelueschen’s Austin is contemplative, and very self aware and self aggrandizing at the same time. Harris plays Gus’ earnestness with an authentic sincerity that makes me believe in innocence, a delightful frictive opposite to Cuellar’s Sir Finger, the petulant success who only desires failure. Some of the best absurdist lines belong to Shaffer’s Wicker. McNally’s cleverness is so razor sharp, I found myself laughing at lines a beat or two after they happened.
The design team is also a dream, David Arsenault (Scenic Design) brings you into a well-decorated bedroom. Mike Boylan (Cinematographer) brings us up close and personal as literally a fly on the wall. Alan Edwards (Lighting Design), Charles G. LaPoint (Wig Design), Dorothy Peterson (Makeup Design) and Alejo Vietti (Costume Design) combine to perfection–these are four-dimensional characters, many of whom we know. Ryan Rumery (Sound Design, Music and Sound Editor) gives us the full flavor of a raging after-party populated by the glitterati, with Samantha Flint (Production Stage Manager) keeping it all together. Dark and funny, this is the perfect return to the theatre, literally and figuratively, since it is filmed in the new digs for GSP. The more you know about theatre, the more you will enjoy this play. Get your tickets now! Buckle up your seatbelts, we’re in for some bumpy weather.
"It’s Only A Play" is running through July 4, and this is a great bridge to getting back into the physical theatre by watching our new dearest friend, the stage at the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center! Visit www.GeorgeStreetPlayhouse.org today!