www.theaterworks.com
through February 14, 2016
by R.E. Smith
“Buyer & Cellar” is a very made up story inspired by
facts so “preposterous,” that they could only be true. The “Buyer” in this case
is Barbra Streisand; the “Cellar” is the basement of her palatial Malibu
estate, which she has made into a museum that mimics an old fashion Main Street
USA, complete with storefronts and a staff of one.
 |
| Tom Lenk as Alex More |
A one-person show is only as good as the performer, and Tom
Lenk is outstanding. An actor of stages and screens big and small, he brings a
comfortable familiarity to Alex More, an out of work actor who has lucked into
what seems to be the best job ever. The audience invests their trust in him
immediately. He brings to life over a half dozen characters, each with distinct
voice and physicality. Lenk’s facial expressions are especially fluid, and just
a simple change to the set of his eyes was enough to indicate a character change.
The TheaterWorks venue is the perfect setting for this
basement-based tale. The set is simple, the props are minimal, and any more
would just distract from the intimacy. There is one notable exception:
Streisand’s actual coffee table book, “My Passion for Design,” the inspiration for the
play, has a large role, serving as the footnote source for some of the “strange
but true” details.
Director Rob Ruggiero uses all of Lenk’s skills to the
fullest. The pace never drags when Lenk is portraying Alex and others, so
whenever “Barbra” enters the room, there is an almost palpable sense that the
very walls are holding their breath in "her" presence.
Playwright (and Connecticut resident) Jonathan Tolins has
crafted a well-balanced story, amusing, charming, and totally believable
despite the out of the ordinary premise. There is amateur psychology,
meditations on success, and dissertations on loneliness, but all with a solid
underpinning of laugh out loud humor and lightness of spirit.
One person leaving the show was heard to remark, “I wonder
how long he (Alex) worked for her?” This suspension of disbelief is the true
mark of all elements working in harmony to get the audience invested in the
story. Barbra fans will find it a love letter, non-fans will find it very
funny, and both will enjoy “Buyer & Cellar” immensely.
