Whether one is struggling with a personal or business relationship, parting ways can be filled with far more anger than sorrow. The battle over legislative attempts to prohibit abortions is loaded with ignorant and incendiary misassumptions that reveal the differences in how women and men may react to a moral crisis. In her recent opinion piece in The New York Times entitled How to End a Friendship, Lauren Mechling described the life and death cycle of a close friendship which was once very dear and precious to her.
As one browses through the Broadway song catalog, it's easy to find songs written for female characters who can't stop blaming themselves for what went wrong (it's rare to find similar songs for men to sing).
Going for couples therapy, trying to listen to one's partner, and bending the ears of close friends and relatives until they become sick of listening to one's problems are typical paths taken by people desperately hoping to resuscitate a relationship that is dying a slow and painful death. But alas, some situations simply cannot be saved.
Sometimes the end of a relationship arrives without so much as a bang or a whimper. Sometimes one partner simply decides to cut their losses and leave without feeling any need to justify their feelings or apologize for their actions. Instead of making one last attempt to prove that they're right (or that they can manage to make a bad situation work), they don't even bother to cue the fat lady to sing on their way out the door. When that happens, the remaining silence can be deafening.
* * * * * * * * *
For many couples, any number of factors can suck the sizzle out of a relationship. A man who managed a Chess King store once tell me that if his lover ever gained 20 pounds, he'd kick him out of the house. Other friends have learned how the pressures from their job and/or trying to raise children sap most of their energy (resulting in planned date nights when a reliable babysitter is worth every dollar). When one searches for songs that trace the life of a relationship from elation to doubt, resignation and, finally, disgruntled defiance, some of the results come from award-winning musicals.A new film written and directed by Mike Doyle that will be screened during the 2019 Frameline Film Festival focuses on a gay couple whose relationship has started to go stale. Adam (Scott Evans) and Marklin (Augustus Prew) are two middle-aged gay men who have been together for five years. Though they met when both were starving artists, a potent combination of good luck, hard work, and word of mouth have made them financially secure (even though Adam is still trying to sell his house in the country).
 |
| Adam (Scott Evans) and Marklin (Augustus Prew) are having relationship problems in Sell By |
Adam's paintings are now sold through an art gallery owned by Ravella Brewer (Patricia Clarkson), who keeps him busy. Although Adam doesn't mind having to sign Ravella's name on each painting instead of his own, the money is good and he doesn't have to deal with the business of art or obnoxious clients. Marklin, on the other hand, is a well-known commercial photographer who loves his work and has gained substantial name recognition within the fashion industry.
 |
| Cammy (Michelle Buteau) learns that her hot and hunky boyfriend, Henry (Colin Donnel), is homeless in Sell By |
As they look at their circle of friends, the two men learn that Cammy (Michelle Buteau) has been dating Henry (Colin Donnell), who turns out to be living in a homeless shelter. Adam's best friend, Elizabeth (Kate Walsh), has just discovered that her husband for the past 15 years, Damon (Chaz Lamar Shepard), is planning to leave her for a younger woman.
 |
| Adam (Scott Evans) and his best friend, Elizabeth (Kate Walsh) try to boost each other's morale in Sell By |
Meanwhile, Cammy's best friend, Haley (Zoe Chao), earns her living as a college entrance counselor but has become so busy helicoptering a handsome, rich, lazy, dumb teenager with his preparation for the SAT exam that she doesn't realize Scott (Christopher Gray) just wants to jump her bones. Though Scott already knows he's not Ivy League material (he tried getting into Brown on his own and was rejected), he keeps mixing up neediness, loneliness, and horniness in what should be a much clearer set of priorities.
 |
| Haley (Zoe Chao) tries to fend off her the sexual advances of her underage pupil, Scott (Christopher Gray), in Sell By |
Although Adam worries that his lover is seeing someone on the side, unbeknownst to him Marklin has been spending a lot of time at a nearby hospital where his ex-lover, Karl (Chris Henry Coffey), is close to death. One afternoon, when Adam goes swimming at the gym, he locks eyes with a handsome pool attendant named Guillermo (Brian Marc), who reaches out with the simplest and kindest of gestures. The moment is both intriguing and disquieting for Adam, since it reminds him that Marklin has been increasingly uninterested in having sex.
 |
| Patricia Clarkson portrays gallery owner Ravella Brewer in Sell By |
When Marklin tries to surprise Adam with a picnic at the spot overlooking the East River where they first met, Adam misinterprets the gesture as a preemptive means of breaking up. While Sell By is well written and beautifully filmed, much of its dramatic tension stems from "first world problems." Despite loving Henry, Cammy worries if dating a homeless man makes her look bad. Soon after freeing herself from Scott's crush on her, Haley starts dating Guillermo. Though he decides to start painting what he wants to paint (without putting Ravella's name on his work), Adam still has his studio, his husband, and his talent to keep him going.
 |
| Elizabeth (Kate Walsh) watches Alex (Scott Evans) at work in his studio in a scene from Sell By |
Years before the phrase "check your privilege" entered the vernacular, a friend complained that he was tired of going to LGBT film festivals which seemed to concentrate on stories about people dealing with substance abuse, gay bashing, AIDS, and coming out stories. What he longed to see were films about gay couples with real jobs and stable relationships (like his own). When I pointed out that screenplays need conflict, and that films about happily-married couples leading fairly vanilla lifestyles won't necessarily sell tickets, he was a bit taken aback.
In some ways, Sell By reminded me of 1983's The Big Chill in that several adults are forced to cope with real-life issues. The most notable difference is that, while most of these people are in their late thirties to early forties and financially secure, none are parents.
Sell By is a perfectly acceptable film which includes nice cameo appearances by Marilyn Sokol as an art patron and John Doman as Adam's father. Unfortunately, despite a huge amount of self-absorbed angst and middle-aged whining, it doesn't generate much sympathy for any of its characters.
* * * * * * * * *
Ambition is a curious phenomenon. It can keep someone's attention focused like a laser beam on a seemingly unattainable goal, driving entrepreneurs and their employees to push through 80-hour weeks in order to help launch a startup business. When failure seems unavoidable, it can lead to anger, depression, or a clinical, cold-blooded assessment of how to expunge an emotional cancer from a person's life before it can do further harm. These three songs encapsulate the ambition, optimism, and tenacity that keep a person going when it seems as if no one truly believes in them.As part of its Sandbox Series for New Works, the San Francisco Playhouse is currently presenting the world premiere of a new drama by Carey Perloff. Tightly written (and directed with appropriate levels of optimism, cynicism, and compassion by Bill English), The Fit focuses on five backstabbing characters on the make with high hopes that their efforts will reap huge rewards.
- Paul (Johnny Moreno) is the CEO of a venture capital firm looking for a hot new concept that he can get behind in an effort to gain a substantial new revenue stream. Paul is the kind of impulsive gambler who likes to "go with his gut" on decisions that often reek of racism, and sexism. When it comes time to share the child-raising responsibilities in his marriage, he displays a smug sense of male privilege.
- Marcia (Arwen Anderson) is Paul's wife, a highly successful attorney who has just won a major court victory for women but is stuck in a marriage to a man for whom she has lost a great deal of respect after truly getting to know him.
 |
| Paul (Johnny Moreno) and Jeremy (Jeff Kim) in a scene from The Fit (Photo by: Jessica Palopoli) |
- Jeremy (Jeff Kim) is Paul's flunky, an agreeably nonconfrontational young Asian American man who does research on startup ventures being pitched to Paul for funding. While Jeremy is an affable "bro," he's not all that bright. In fact, he's a bit lazy when it comes to performing due diligence.
- Ching (Michelle Talgarow) is the Filipino cleaning woman who works in their office building and makes a habit of flattering Paul while pitching products to him that he "should know about." When a new craft beer Paul has invested in starts rolling off the production line, it is Ching (rather than Jeremy) who hands Paul his first bottle of the brew. Ching's sideline hustle involves building a downline of pushcart vendors in the Philippines who can easily distribute product to their loyal customers, who are mostly local families and friends. When she is not stealing supplies from an office, Ching is lifting funding proposals off desktops and manipulating colleagues on her smartphone.
 |
| Marcia (Arwen Anderson) and Paul (Johnny Moreno) in a scene from The Fit (Photo by: Jessica Palopoli) |
Enter Sakina (Avanthika Srinivasan), a brilliant Indian-American scientist who recently graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and seeks funding for a new clothing concept. Her pitch is simple. A new fabric features wearable diagnostic technology that could give parents of young children (as well as adult children of aging parents) instant feedback and greater control over a loved one's vital signs, proper dosing, and other medical data.
Though she is convinced of the product's merit (and the intellectual genius of its creator), Sakina finds herself running an obstacle course comprised of Paul's racism, sexism, tribalism, and narcissism. Add in Jeremy's sexual interest in Sakina (combined with his unwillingness to put her needs above Paul's), Ching's determination to make things happen for her friends in the Philippines (who have already created an appealing mobile app for their distribution network), and Marcia's resentment of Paul's unwillingness to assume any parental responsibilities, and The Fit resembles a pit full of hungry vipers with little, if any, conscience.
Perloff has constructed a virtual no man's (or woman's) land in which the thought of giving power and money to a young, Indian-American woman is almost laughable. When Sakina runs into a former colleague who discloses a shocking sexual assault story that could easily be weaponized, she decides to fight fire with fire. As the financial stakes for bringing the product to market grow more intense, so do the belligerence, bloodthirstiness, and betrayals. In his program note, Bill English writes:
“Is ruthlessness essential for success? What does the win-at-all-costs mentality do to the souls of some who pursue careers in the corporate world? What do we give up to win at this game? These questions apply to all of the characters in The Fit. They are ambitious, driven to win, and not always aware of the costs of their actions to others or themselves. Paul, head of the firm, has built his life out of taking huge gambles. He has all the trappings of success but worries he may be losing his touch. Jeremy wants to be Paul and will do whatever it takes. Sakina has ideals, but will she end up as corrupted as the men? Marcia, desperate for success, risks losing her daughter in the bargain and even the cleaning lady will let nothing stand in the way of her dream. Do we judge them for their lack of scruples? Or do we suspect that many of our closely held but false beliefs are the real villains, creating a playing field where everyone loses and no one is really a fit?”
 |
| Ching (Michelle Talgarow) and Sakina (Avanthika Srinivasan) in a scene from The Fit (Photo by: Jessica Palopoli) |
“More than three years in gestation, The Fit premieres at a time when the Theranos scandal is all over the news and wearable technology is exploding. Carey Perloff’s inspiration for The Fit was some biographical accounts of women trying to work in the male-dominated world of venture capital and the horrible roadblocks and glass ceilings they encountered. Sakina, the young scientist in The Fit, fresh out of MIT, challenges the status quo in a major venture capital firm. The play questions whether she will be able to compete in this brutal world without sacrificing her nature as a woman. Or can she only succeed by being as ruthless as the men? The Fit examines how we balance our pursuit of the American dream with our needs as human beings. And what role morality plays in the world of business.”
 |
| Sakina (Avanthika Srinivasan) and Marcia (Arwen Anderson) in a scene from The Fit (Photo by: Jessica Palopoli) |
SFP has assembled a tight and taut ensemble which, in addition to Johnny Moreno and Arwen Anderson, allows Michelle Talgarow to shine. Avanthika Srinivasan and Jeff Kim do solid work as the Indian-American and Asian-American figures trying to break through into what is essentially a white man's network. I was especially taken with Heather Kenyon's handsome unit set, which allowed a stylish back wall to transform the playing space into a women's restroom in mere seconds.
On opening night, some people were taken aback by the abruptness with which Perloff's play ends (Sakina slowly and quietly exits Paul's office and walks off by herself). Perhaps they were hoping for some kind of explosive confrontation (or a heart-rending monologue explaining why Sakina had chosen to pick up her toys and go home), but I found it quite believable. There are moments in life when it becomes crystal clear that there is no way to win, and that attempting to salvage a losing situation would only take a heavy psychological toll on the person trying to make things work. Better to let pigs wallow in their own filth and seek one's fortune somewhere else.
 |
| Jeremy (Jeff Kim) and Sakina (Avanthika Srinivasan) in a scene from The Fit (Photo by: Jessica Palopoli) |
Earlier this year, San Francisco Playhouse presented Yoga Play (Dipika Guha's biting satire on the cutthroat business practices within the fashion industry), which touches on problems with sexism, male privilege, tribalism, and greed. Perloff's new play reinforces the timeliness of choices that Bill English and his colleagues keep making for their "Empathy Gym." Performances of The Fit continue through June 29 at The Rueff atop the Strand Theatre (click here for tickets).
No comments:
Post a Comment