The Happiest Medium » Basic Help

Basic Help (2014 Frigid New York Festival)

Karen Tortora-Lee — Fri, 07 Mar 2014 20:23:29 +0000

Strangedog Theatre’s Basic Help begins with a situation that is all too familiar to anyone who has ever spent endless minutes weaving through the labyrinth of telephone prompts in the hopes of eventually getting to speak with a live person who can actually help you.

We first come upon Cynthia (Megan Greener) at this exact moment of human contact. Cynthia is so startled and relieved to talk to a human being that the first thing she does is relate her frustration at being navigated through an endless maze to finally get to an actual rep. The phone-chain hierarchy is described perfectly – beginning with the the remote, robotic push 1 for this, 2 for that menu options which lead to the more interactive but no less animatronic“Okay. I heard you say such-and-such. Is that correct? Okay. One moment while I check that …”

So of course when Cynthia is finally connected with Simon (Gavin Earl Johnson) who answers the line with a scripted version of Thank you for calling Magicprep Kitchenware where all you kitchen prep is magic. What is the name of the Magicprep Kitchenware customer I have the pleasure of speaking with? is it any wonder that she demands verification that he is, in fact, human – and not just an even more clever version of robotic technology who will be of no more help to her than all the others?

On the surface, Cynthia seems a bit high strung. I mean, really – it’s just kitchenware. Does having a blender which makes an unexpected noise warrant a flood of crazy-lady rantings and accusations? Whether it does or doesn’t, Simon isn’t paid to really respond thoughtfully or give actual conversation anyway. He’s just meant to help the customer on the other end of the line, ask them if there’s any thing else he can help them with today, wish them a nice day, and sign off so that he can answer the next call. Simple.

Only it’s not that simple. Yes, Cynthia is high strung – but there’s a reason. And Simon does have more thoughtful, more conversational responses – he’s just not expected to voice them. So when Cynthia calls back the next day on some other pretext about her blender (“I lied to you when you asked if it was a gift …”) it gives the two a chance to connect a bit deeper – but only just. It’s enough of a connection, however, for Simon to give Cynthia his direct extension so that she can bypass the maze and get him directly. On the one hand, this is crazy. She’s obviously got a lot of time on her hands – she will obviously call again. On the other hand … not so crazy. Because she will obviously call again.

And so begins a strange friendship. And it is a friendship. The wonderful thing that playwright Ben Clawson has a gift for understanding is that the human mind is a complex thing and not all connections need to be romantic in order for them to be deeply moving and affecting. Director Artem Yatsunov interprets this beautifully. While there is most definitely a type of playfulness which grows between Cynthia and Simon as the phone calls become a daily ritual, the intimacy – and there is definitely intimacy – never crosses into coy flirtation. Nevertheless Yatsunov makes it obvious that these two human beings – without seeing each other, without REALLY knowing each other beyond the scope of these brief daily interactions, have created a bond which both rely on. Sometimes emotional intimacy is more of a life preserver than any other kind of intimacy. But, like a life-preserver, some intimacies are self contained and serve only one purpose – and aren’t useful unless you’re lost at sea.

The feasibility of BASIC HELP sits squarely on the shoulders of Greener and Johnson and both do a wonderful job of breathing life into their characters. Even more-so, their nuanced performance allows you to watch as they grow closer, even as the two actors never lock eyes or even face each other. No small feat. In just the act of simple phone calls they call forth humor, poignancy and even emptiness. They succeed in finding things that not only connect them to each other, but to the audience as well.

Musician David Byrne said “Sometimes it’s a form of love just to talk to somebody that you have nothing in common with and still be fascinated by their presence.” Do Cynthia and Simon fascinate one another? To an extent. They certainly intrigue one another. And at the time their phone calls happen they wake each other up a bit.

BASIC HELP does a beautiful job of exploring unexpected connections found in strange places which can lead us to decisions we wouldn’t have been brave enough to make otherwise. We live in a society where we can disclose our innermost thoughts on Tumblr anonymously via a screen name such as starburstfireflygrrrrl and get more support from Gothgrrrl92 than we do our own friends IRL. This simply underscores how the scenario of BASIC HELP is more accessible and commonplace than we think. Making friends with a stranger who we will never meet or talk to again? It happens every day. And if you think it doesn’t – remember this review the next time you’re pouring your heart out to the faceless masses on line. Think of BASIC HELP. And know: someone’s listening. And someone’s always there to give help – basic or otherwise.

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Basic Help
Company: StrangeDog. Theatre
Written by: Ben Clawson
Directed by: Artem Yatsunov

Remaining Performance:
Mar 09, 12:30PM

Click HERE for tickets

Running time: 0 h 50 min
Price: $16.00
Seating: General Admission

UNDER St Marks
94 St Marks Place
New York , New York 10009
1st Ave and Ave A

Horse Trade Theater Group will present the 8th Annual FRIGID New York Festival at The Kraine Theater (85 East 4^th Street between 2^nd Avenue and Bowery) and UNDER St. Marks (94 St. Marks Place between 1^st Avenue and Avenue A) February 19-March 9. Tickets are available for purchase in advance at www.FRIGIDnewyork.info or by calling 212-868-4444.

Basic Help: 10 Things To Know About The Show Before You Go (2014 FRIGID NEW YORK FESTIVAL)

Karen Tortora-Lee — Sat, 15 Feb 2014 19:37:05 +0000

Ten Questions. Ten Answers. And One Big Decision: Rock, Paper, Or Scissors?

Basic Help (PHOTO CREDIT REBECCA BICKLEY)

Basic Help

Production Company: StrangeDog Theatre

“Your call may be monitored.” NJ’s premiere indie-theatre auteurs, StrangeDog, bring you Ben Clawson’s (Luna Stage, Shadowlands, David Mark Cohen award recipient) latest odyssey – a chronicle of two strangers who clash with a kitchen appliance, conquer customer service and quality assurance, only to discover simple companionship in the strangest of places.

Show Times:

Fri 2/21 @ 8:40
Thu 2/27 @ 5:30
Sat 3/1 @ 6:50
Wed 3/5 @ 10:15
Sun 3/9 @ 12:30

Answers by Artem Yatsunov (Director)

1. Your tag line is out there on postcards and press releases so we know the PR version of what this play is about. But when you talk to your family and friends, how do you explain the show to them?

AY: A woman has a flip out and melts down over the phone with a kitchenware sales associate, but then they become friends and talk about robots, sickly mice, failed marriages, unemployment, and the effects of too many margaritas. With jokes!

2. Here’s a scenario: After the show some audience members go have a drink. What’s the part of the show you hope they’re discussing?

AY: I hope they’re talking about how glad they are that they’re not as miserably sad and lost and confused as the characters in the play. But if they’re not discussing that then I hope they are discussing how much the characters remind them of themselves.

3. What drives your show – character, theme or plot?

AY: Time. These are the only 50 minutes that these people have together, nothing is left out, and no moment is wasted.

4. In rehearsals, read-thrus, or prior incarnations, what’s the one thing someone said about the show so far that made you (or the team) the most proud?

AY: “Megan and Gavin are BOTH in this? When are we going!” Caitlin’s (the super fan’s) dad.

5. Let’s fantasize for a moment. Let’s take the “off-off” off. Imagine this show is on Broadway. Would that change the production itself?

AY: Nope. What you will see at 8:40 on Fri Feb 21st, 5:30 on Thu Feb 27th, 6:50 on Sat Mar 1st, 10:15 on Wed Mar 5th, and 12:30 on Sun Mar 9th is going to not only redefine the art form but will also be the reason for St Marks Place to be renamed St Broadway Place. I strongly suggest everyone bring a bucket with them so they have a large enough vessel to weep into.

6. Taking that one step further – after paying everyone what they’re worth of course, what is the most lavish, luxurious, pointless thing you would spend money on if there was no constraints?

AY: The building itself would be shaped as an enormous blender (central image of the show) which lying on its side, and it will be large enough to fit at the very least a thousand people. Additionally, will be fully functional. Oh and along with that, we have two scenes we left out that do require a Miss Saigon style helicopter so we’ll bring those back and FINALLY be able to realize the play in its full form!

7. Is there a scene, a moment, a gesture … anything at all in the show that you anticipate may get a completely different reaction depending on the audience that night?

AY: It’s best captured by this one moment when one of our actors, Gavin Earl Johnson (who plays Simon, the kitchen ware help line phone operator) does a really, really spot on impersonation of a mouse sick with bronchitis coughing. After we saw that, once we were able to catch our breath from weeping at the beauty of that sequence, Ben Clawson (the playwright) and I strongly considered renaming the play A Mouse Coughs In Brooklyn but then decided we didn’t want to ground the play in a specific city. So we left it Basic Help.

8. What’s your favorite line from the show?

AY: “Cynthia: (drunk) Who did make him a he? Who makes any of us a he? Cause he, he is sexist then. Oh! Why’s the one who makes us a he got to be a he? I’m sexist.”

9. Is the world of this play sustainable outside a theatre? In other words … do you think people live the way the characters do? Would you want a world where they do?

AY: Sure!

10. You scan the audience and you see a face that stops you dead in your tracks – who is it? And why are you shocked?

AY: Antonia Lassar of Tina and Amy: Last Night in Paradise and I am shocked simply because she gets more gorgeous every time I see her. And I see her all the time! How does she do it?!

Rock, Paper, Scissors Tournament of DEAAAAATH

In the THM virtual Rock, Paper, Scissors Tournament of DEAAAAATH which FRIGID Show do you take on? And what do you throw?

CHALLENGES: We would take on Tina and Amy: Last Night in Paradise - now that there is a cast almost as good looking as ours!

THROWS: We would definitely throw rocks, but not very hard cause if someone gets hurt it’s not so much fun. Why paper? That’s weird, I mean, you can’t really throw paper. Oh! And throwing scissors just sounds so violent and outrageous! At least with a rock you can sort of throw a warning shot, you can aim more carefully – but scissors!? Yuck. That is so dangerous.

Good choice, Basic Help! Now, let’s see how ROCK worked out for you! You were challenged by a number of shows, including Tina and Amy – so that gives you TWO rounds to try you luck with those gals. Let get the games going!

CHALLENGED BY:

~ East in Red who threw SCISSORS – that’s a WIN for you!

~ THE CANUCK CABARET who threw ROCK – that’s a DRAW …

~ Tina and Amy: Last Night in Paradise who challenged you RIGHT BACK and threw SCISSORS – that’s a WIN for your round, and a WIN for their round giving you TWO WINS!!

~ Real Dead Ghosts who threw ROCK – that’s a DRAW …

~ Boogie Of The Apes who threw ROCK … another DRAW.

So in the end, you have THREE DRAWS, THREE WINS and NO LOSSES! You obviously need NO HELP when it comes to this game – Basic or otherwise!

Thanks Basic Help for participating in The Happiest Medium’s FRIGID New York Festival 2014 Q&A. And for playing our game! You’re officially ROCK in any and all challenges. You may win, you may lose – who knows! This is how it works in the crazy world of the Rock, Paper, Scissors Tournament of DEAAAAATH!

For the rest of you don’t forget to check out Basic Help !

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Feb 21, 8:40PM
Feb 27, 5:30PM
Mar 01, 6:50PM
Mar 05, 10:15PM
Mar 09, 12:30PM

UNDER St.Marks | $16.00

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