The Happiest Medium » Zach Stasz

A Kind Kind Man, So He Says (FRIGID New York 2011)

Karen Tortora-Lee — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 05:57:27 +0000

Flora (Tali Custer) is so sweet when she shows up at the door of Willard (Jeffrey Coyne) selling White Sexy Face Toothpaste that it’s easy to see why he can’t resist her. Just look at her. So peppy. So bright. So nubile. Why, she’s the exact kind of 14 year old a man could find planted smack in the middle of a Dateline sting operation. But Willard didn’t even have to fall for that. No – Flora came to his door. With mmmmm – toothpaste. Bitchin’ Blueberry. A whole suitcase full. No cameras. No reporters. Just a gal with a desire to sell him the best gosh darn toothpaste there is, so that she can win the contest and go to the Virgin Islands. And of course Willard will help her. He is, after all, A Kind Kind Man.

What’s such a young girl doing selling toothpaste door to door? Well, as Flora says, White Sexy Face only hires young girls so that’s how she got there. How she landed on Willard’s doorstep . . . well, Willard might consider that divine intervention. She’s like an under-aged call girl, with all the right moves. She’s just this side of flirty, passing it off as exuberance (yes, about toothpaste and oral hygiene) and carries odd props in her suitcase. Do you want her to be a blond? On goes the wig. Would you rather call her Laura instead of Flora? No problem. Hell, she’ll even brush her teeth for you, vigorously moving her hand up and down till she produces a satisfyingly frothy white foam which drips down her chin. And after she’s done she . . . spits. Come on, let’s not be naive. I’m sure there’s a fetish video out there that mimics this scene exactly.

After brushing together Willard and Flora do a little more bonding; Flora talks about her insecurities, about not fitting in, about the fear of dying having never been loved. Willard admits to feeling “old and sad” but tells the young girl how he finds her radiant “like Christmas everyday”.

A little Red Riding Hood theme gets whipped in (in case you somehow missed the overt symbolism) vis-à-vis a wolf’s head that’s prominently hung on the wall and then rhapsodized over by Willard. By the time Act One ends the whole thing takes a ghoulish turn.

Unfortunately Act Two veers off into another territory altogether. Willard’s obviously psycotic wife, Petunia (Victoria Guthrie), has tied up the child, and is grilling her like a finely aged Kobe steak. The play turns hyper absurdist and meanders almost too much for its own good; Petunia’s rambling speeches become so tangential and contain so many folds that it’s as if her script had been written on origami. The story builds and builds leading up to one big head-scratcher of a finale.

While ending it after the Act One black out might have left a number of plot holes and loose ends, it at least would have ended on a more chilling note. Unfortunately the second act does little to fill those plot holes or tie up those loose ends – though it does go a long way to explain why Willard is so terribly cornered by his dull little life.

A good beginning by playwright Catherine Weingarten, but definitely some work is needed before this Kind Kind Man is fully realized.

~~~

A Kind Kind Man

Written by Catherine Weingarten & Directed by Zach Stasz

Presented by Stasz/Pruitt Productions Queens, NY
UNDER St. Marks (94 St. Marks Place) $14
Thu 2/24 @ 7:30pm, Sat 2/26 @ 2:30pm, Wed 3/2 @ 9pm, Fri 3/4 @ 6pm, & Sat 3/5 @ 7pm

FRIGID New York Festival 2011 will run February 23-March 6 at The Kraine Theater & The Red Room (85 East 4th Street between 2nd Ave and Bowery) and UNDER St. Marks (94 St. Marks Place between 1sr Ave and Ave A). Tickets ($10-$16) may be purchased online at www.FRIGIDnewyork.info or by calling Smarttix at 212-868-4444. All shows will run 60 minutes long or less.

FRIGID New York Festival 2011 – Five Questions For: A Kind Kind Man

Karen Tortora-Lee — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 21:51:24 +0000

Welcome back to another installment of FRIGID New York Festival 2011 Q&A! We’ll be running these throughout February until the Festival starts, so be sure to check back to read all about the great shows that will be taking part in the festival. Also – don’t miss the winner-take-all game of Rock Paper Scissors! Today’s Q&A is with Zach Stasz, Director and Producer of A Kind Kind Man.

When 14-year-old Flora shows up on Willard’s doorstep selling toothpaste with a smile, Willard’s repressed masculinity surfaces – triggering desires to drop his perfect muffin baking wife and run off with the unwilling Flora to the Virgin Islands. Dentistry meets Little Red Ridding Hood in this dark and modern farce.

answers by Zach Stasz, Director and Producer

Antonio Asks: What makes FRIGID such a warm and welcoming experience for your production?

It’s a perfect chance for smaller companies to get phenomenal exposure and coverage. It’s pretty easy to get lost in the shuffle when it comes to NYC theatre – so when that glass ceiling breaks and audiences are seeing shows that may seem unconventional or offbeat, they’re bound to fall in love with a brand new playwright, company, or actor. Frigid makes this all possible and gives each show the respect and attention it deserves.

Diánna Asks: What about this play do you feel most drawn to personally, and because of that, what message do you hope the audience walks away with?

Gender roles in our society are constantly changing, and what was once seen as the perfect home – a working father, and housewife, 2.5 kids,a brand new television, and a dog named Spot – is now unconventional. Our show takes a man who feels completely emasculated and lights a fire under him. His wife “wears the pants” in their relationship, and the only bit of manliness he can call his own is a stuffed wolf head that his Dad gave him when he was a kid. When he falls head-over-heels for a door-to-door toothpaste salesgirl, his repressed masculinity surfaces – triggering desires to leave his life and run off with the unwilling girl to the Virgin Islands. I’m hoping that audiences will walk away amused, bewildered, and question whether or not they are repressing their own desires to be themselves.

Karen Asks: That’s some title. How did you come up with it – and what does it mean?

A Kind Kind Man refers to Willard, one of the central characters. He seems to be just that… A Kind Kind Man. Or maybe that’s just what he has been told to be all his life.

Stephen Asks: You must have a favorite part of your show. What makes it your favorite?

Flora, the door-to-door toothpaste salesgirl, tells about a reoccurring dream that involves wolves, full thick mustaches, toothpaste, the zoo, wet t-shirt contests, and more.

Lina Asks: How much of your show was inspired by true events?
None – that would be pretty weird.

THM Bonus Question: If you could play a virtual game of Rock, Paper, Scissors with another FRIGID Show which show would you take on? And what would you throw?

Pretty N’ Papi – you’re going down. I’m crushing you with Rock.

Thanks A Kind Kind Man – for participating in The Happiest Medium’s FRIGID New York Festival 2011 Q&A. And for playing our game! You’re officially ROCK. So you may win twice. Or not at all! This is how it works in the crazy world of the VIRTUAL ROCK PAPER SCISSORS TOURNAMENT!

Meanwhile, for the rest of you – don’t forget to check out A Kind Kind Man!