Every fan of live theatre should see Source Theatre's finely-crafted production of David Mamet's A Life in the Theatre.
The story of two actors, one a veteran of the stage, "Robert," (brilliantly played by the gifted Michael Tolaydo) and one relative newcomer, "John," ( Jon Cohn), the play demonstrates that backstage personal politics and rivalry is very often more interesting than the onstage drama. Among actors, empty flattery is often the better course rather than the truth, and the smallest perceived slight paves the way for backstage mind games.
Tolaydo gives a stellar performance as a prickly aging actor who alternates between mentoring John, and competing with him for the spotlight. John is a rising star with glowing reviews and movie offers while Robert is reaching the twilight of his career. Tolaydo makes expansive and creative use of his full, rich voice, and he is a master of subtlety and nuance in his performance. Cohn gives an earnest performance in a show in which his character clearly plays second fiddle to Robert. Director Joe Banno has directed from the heart, and his five-star production is a thoughtful and moving tribute to a life in the theatre.
The script is awash in clever and insightful quips about theatre. When the characters gossip about a mediocre actress, Robert observes that "stilted diction and pregnant pauses I can handle, but mugging rots my heart to look at it." In discussing the importance of the quality of the voice of a stage actor, Robert declaims that "an ugly sound is an indication of an ugly soul." Theatre critics do not escape Mamet's barbs when one of the characters calls critics "boring lunatics" and snipes that critics "don't do anything, they don't even buy a ticket." The plays within the play are often very humorous, highlighting the disaster that can occur when an actor forgets his lines and has to improvise.
Scenic designer Greg Mitchell has created an innovative and detail-oriented set with three areas for the action: a "green" room (or actors' lounge), a small wooden platform with footlights designed to simulate a stage for the plays within the play, and a backstage dressing room. Mitchell has cleverly inserted an exposed wooden beam ceiling into the theatre's lighting grid to mimic the often unfinished ceilings common in the backstage of a theatre. Additional thoughtful scenic elements include unused scenic backdrops and heavy velvet curtains ringing the perimeter, and costume racks aplenty.
The show moves at a brisk pace, with 21 scenes, performed in the round without intermission in 85 minutes. After he has "accidentally" cut himself on his wrist with a razor, Robert observes that an actor's career "all goes by so fast" in a bittersweet final scene.