In acting class, teachers often ask students: “Where are you?” What they’re really asking is: What surrounds you? How does your environment impact your choices? Where are you coming from, and why? The more you know the answers to these questions, the more you are, definitively, anywhere at all.
It’s a little odd that the family members in Be Here Now are so focused on personal journeys and hard-won lessons, because from start to end the show feels utterly location-less. Affairs end and begin, the world gets traveled, and hearts mend and break, but it’s all on behalf of a languid group of pseudo-introverts — six characters in search of a purpose, making cursory discussion of life and love while they wait for some spark to strike.
The youngest sister Izzy (Lauren Uberman) has a severe case of wanderlust, and decides to pawn a family heirloom to finance an odyssey to New Zealand, much to the chagrin of her best friend Zeke (Jacob Yeh). Her older sister Michelle (Allyson Harkey), a former fashion model, decides to pursue a fling with a handsome soldier at a bar (Eric Humphries), thereby flinging her fiancee Patrick (Marcus Kyd) to the wayside without a second thought. And Olivia (Karen Lange) can only dream of being so spontaneous, paralyzed as she is not only by timidity but by an inescapable desire for a man she deems off-limits.
The script by Carson Kreitzer is loosely based on Chekhov’s Three Sisters, but this version retains none of the stately despair and creeping dread that permeates the Russian. Kreitzer’s a little hazy on the details — the family may or may not be struggling very much with money, mobility, and the memory of a late matriarch — and, with no traction to grab, the show wanders along with lackadaisical ease. A series of monologues, addressed to no one in particular, pass the time: musings on marriage, home ownership, skateboarding, and how to get stains out of fabric. You can practically hear the thumbs twiddling.
The production feels not so much directed as curated; under Lise Bruneau’s considered hand, all movement and action is clean, measured, and well-informed. It’s too bad the script is soporific, because the acting is quite strong. Everyone onstage finds — or, during slow pages, creates — some great moments together in quick glances, small smiles and nervous tics. Kyd, in particular, has hit on some alchemical process for pulling naturalism and subtext from his lines. But when the stakes are so low (here, redecorating a parlor passes for a plot twist) even smartly delivered dialogue grows forgettable awfully fast.
Will Izzy heed the greeting-card advice on life she picks up from a mysterious surfer guru in New Zealand? Seems like it, although she seemed to be doing fine on her own. Will Michelle regret her sordid affair? Perhaps, although she and Patrick were clearly a bad match from the start. Will Olivia paint her walls and stop moping? One can only hope. Despite getting a smart, thoughtful staging, the show doesn’t earn the level of preciousness Kreitzer seems to assume it does. Many moments twinkle with self-awareness, like a well-cut gem. Maybe that’s why, from scene to scene, it looks exactly the same from all angles.
So in the end, where are we? Well… we’ve made it here, from there.
So… we’re here… where?
Be Here Now
Written by Carson Kreitzer
Directed by Lise Bruneau
Produced by Pinky Swear Productions
Reviewed by Hunter Styles
Running Time: 70 minutes
Read all the reviews and check out the full Capital Fringe schedule here.
Did you see the show? What did you think?
I am not a viewer with a deep sense of “source material” so I got to be an audience member and just take it in. I guess that this isn’t what one might expect at a “fringe” festival. Perhaps it is too mundane. It isn’t edgy enough. No one was naked and I don’t really recall much if any swearing. I will agree that much of the dialogue was superficial, but I think that shows how most people go through life. While allowing that this says more about me than the script, I really enjoyed Marcus Kyd’s performance. He was subdued (boring?) much of the time, except in one heart-felt moment and then downright firey at another time. I guess the only “transformation” i didnt really buy was Michelle’s. I didn’t really believe that she would be okay with her new situation. I felt the other sisters had grown, but I didn’t feel that way for Michelle.
I did enjoy the zen-like moment in New Zealand. I thought Jacob Yeh did a nice job with his beach bum guru role. I still find myself trying to snap myself back into the present moment when I drift by asking myself “Where are you?” That question certainly isn’t new, but it never hurts to be reminded of getting back to the present moment and taking care of what needs doing.
I agree – I think this show deserved a higher rating. Be Here Now is a charming production with some really fine acting and direction. The production quality alone should make it a stand-out at Fringe. The script may not be Pulitzer Prize-worthy, but Krietzer presents interesting characters taking life-changing journeys. This is far from a snore-fest and definitely worth your time.
i agree with the other commentors. i have seen worse – far worse – at the fringe. i am not saying this show is my pick of the fringe, but pinkyswear has a solid show on that stage, and they should get credit for. the actors are moving on stage, and while even i feared i may get diabetes from the sickly sweet wish fulfillment utopia they live in, i knew that’s what i was getting in to. disliking a story line, or a sentiment is not grounds for dismissing an otherwise lovely night at the theatre. not every show has to leave us in a cold sweat or the depths of despair. some can uplift, too.
Richard’s take is spot on (sorry, Hunter!). A 2 seems low for this show – to me, that says do not see it unless you have nothing better to do (a 1 is dear god, run away). There was some damn fine acting on that stage. I found the final moments beautiful, even with the tech limitations of Fringe. PinkySwear came out of the gate running last year. This year’s entry might be more quiet and straight-forward, but is still worth the 70 minutes. This is a company to watch. Go there now!
I thoroughly enjoyed this production, and was far from bored. While this may not be Kreitzer’s strongest work (Freak Show was brilliant) it’s nevertheless smart, funny, and often profoundly thought-provoking. I was disappointed to see that Mr. Styles’ dislike of the script (which seemed so overblown as to make me wonder if he was simply in a bad mood when he saw the play) overshadowed his assessment of the excellent acting and direction. It’s a shame that so many column inches of snarkiness edged out a review of the actual performances, save for a few broad strokes (which in fact praised the acting as “quite strong”.)
During the performance I saw, the audience was completely rapt each time I glanced around to assess others’ reactions, and at points, the laughter was raucous. Comedic timing is an art, and interspersing it with with moments of dramatic tension even more so. Nevertheless, this cast, under the skilled direction of Lise Bruneau, pulled it off effortlessly. All in all, it was an hour of quality theater, well worth the price, and as another reviewer said, certainly of higher quality that some of the other Fringe offerings. I really enjoyed myself, and felt my evening was well-spent.
Saw the show and agreed with Richard’s comments. The acting was quite fine and the show was enjoyable. More professional than some of the Fringe offerings. All in all, a good show to see while it’s running.
Saw this show and agree with the assessment of the acting, but thought the script itself was better than the reviewer give it credit for. There were transitions in the script that cut out too abruptly, and two or three too many calls for an actor to interact with a telephone, but I found many moments in Be Here Now to be both smart and profoundly moving.