“Be Here Now” is one of those plays that makes a profound topic seem relatable and entertaining. Indeed, what could be more profound or complicated than trying to explain how to be happy in one’s everyday life?
Bari is a professor who teaches the philosophy of nihilism, which preaches life is meaningless. She not only sees a glass as half empty, she finds fault with the glass itself.
A problem is she needs to finish her dissertation in order to continue teaching. She returns to her small home town in upstate NY, There she works at a menial job while trying to finish her thesis.
Suddenly, she begins to have a series of seizures which make her see life in a joyful, positive manner. However, if left untreated, she might die. The downside of the operation is she could return to a sad life of negativity.
If it weren’t for the character of Mike, the man who becomes Bari’s boyfriend, “Be Here Now” would be only a pleasant but simple play about finding happiness.
Mike not only gives the audience the opportunity to see the best in Bari, but his life is a mirror to hers. Mike is escaping a tragic incident in his past and his escape from life is to live a monastic, simple and solitary life devoted to doing good for others.
Essentially, playwright Deborah Zoe Laufer wrote a love story. It is not based on the sappy premise that love cures all. Rather it points out the value of having someone in your life who will support you being you. That helps you to make the personal decision to be happy.
There are two other characters in the play. Patty has known Bari since high school and Luanne is a young, bubbly co-worker niece.
On the surface, they provide comic relief and help with early exposition. However, they also represent other ways people cope with the harsh realities of life. They are religion, meditation, astrology and anti-depressants. It’s a valuable non-preachy way of pointing out that the choices used for coping are many and varied.
Having talented actors in each role is a bonus for a potentially shallow story about individuals who are loners living unique lives.
Jennifer Van Iderstyne is ideal in the extremely difficult role of Bari. She is able to avoid having the negative woman appear unpleasant, which is of critical importance. To have a central character with whom the audience cannot relate would doom the show.
Van Iderstyne not only creates a caring person, she is an excellent scene partner. Her interaction with her two colleagues provides the needed humor in the piece.
Tania Hotaling as the sheltered Luanne and Pamela O’Connor as the no-nonsense Patty are each able to deliver a comic line, but it is Bari’s reaction that makes them funny.
This was especially important on opening night, as Hotaling and O’Connor were playing the eccentricities of the characters rather than characters who have eccentric traits.
I am positive this will be corrected within a few runs. The confidence comes from seeing each actor own their character when, in solo moments, they defend their beliefs on life and happiness. It was solid work by both.
David Orr is just amazing in the role of Mike. He has quiet charm, gentle dignity and a sense of confidence about the life he has chosen to live.
As the play progresses, he too realizes he needs Bari in his life as much as she needs him. The best thing about the couple’s work is it makes you invest in the dilemma of what having the potentially life-saving operation might cost each of them. That’s a true love story.
Patricia Bunce’s direction is both important, unobtrusive and great. The play’s mood is constantly shifting and Bunce keeps the play’s rhythms flowing.
She is not helped by a decision to add an intermission to a work written to be performed in 90-minutes without an intermission. There seems no logical reason for it, but I must say the prices at the snack bar are fair and reasonable.
“Be Here Now,” is at Curtain Call Theatre in Latham through May 5. For tickets and schedule go to curtaincalltheatre.com
Bob Goepfert is theater reviewer for the Troy Record.
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