"Here you have just one versatile actor running around the stage as he creates over 40 very different personas. Formerly an actress, waitress and coat check girl, Mode certainly had the experience to write this fun comedy which takes place in the reservation office of a high-end New York restaurant. As the show opens, Sam, a struggling actor, reports for work to find his two office mates missing, forcing him to juggle the constantly ringing restaurant lines by himself"
"Sam Barksdale does an amazing job as Sam in Altarena's production. With stamina to spare, he runs from desk to desk on Tom Curtin's multi-level set answering phones while voicing and physicalizing each caller. Thanks to his talent, as well as those of Director Kimberly Ridgeway, Barksdale has given each caller a distinct voice and physicality. While many of the calls he answers are from demanding socialites and threatening businessmen and celebrities"
"Switching between the woman and Barksdale's reservationist persona is hilarious. Although there is only one person on stage, you'd swear there were many more as this accomplished performer fully commits to each character and has the acting chops and physical stamina to make it work. Kudos to Lighting Designer Stephanie Anne Johnson, Sound Designer Alex Fakayode and Stage Manager Vicki Kagaway,"
The play centers on Sam, a struggling actor who mans the reservation desk of a high-end New York restaurant alone, juggling constantly ringing lines, his busy cell phone, and the chef's hotline. One performer creates over 40 distinct personas, shifting voice, posture, and physicality to delineate callers ranging from demanding socialites and threatening businessmen to a supportive father and an 80-plus-year-old woman. Sam Barksdale exhibits remarkable stamina and comic timing as he runs across a multi-level set and answers phones with precise characterization. Direction and design elements, including lighting and sound, enhance the pacing and clarity of rapid character changes.
Read at www.eastbaytimes.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]