His Greatness is Aptly Named

Sometimes, a really great opportunity isn't a really great paying opportunity. When these situations arise you have to weigh the pros and cons, and see if participating in something awesome without getting paid would be better for you than finding a minimum wage, part-time, not awesome job. Such an opportunity presented itself to me this summer.

SummerWorks had ended on August 14th, I had signed a contract with Opera Atelier to begin work on September 19th. It didn't seem like finding a part-time job was in the cards. Of course, you never know how long it might take to find a job, it could take a day, a week, a month or longer. In my experience, it seemed to always take about a month, and I only had a month in which I would've been able to work anyway. The temp agency knew I was available, but no one is hiring temps in this economy. It seemed like I wouldn't have much to do.

In May, I went to The Proust Project at Canadian Stage's Festival of Ideas and Creation. There I talked to my directing professor from the University of Guelph, Ed Roy, about what I was up to, and what he was up to. I told him, if he ever needed an apprentice to let me know. In August, Ed emailed me to tell me he was beginning rehearsals for His Greatness, written by Daniel MacIvor, on August 23rd. He asked if I would like to be the apprentice stage manager on the show and of course the answer was yes! ... But, unfortunately, that couldn't happen. The show didn't open until September 22nd, and I was beginning prep week for Opera Atelier on September 19th. I wrote Ed back and asked if I could help out for the duration of my availability, and I ended up with the title Production Assistant.

I went to the majority of rehearsals, and helped out however I could. I filled a lot of prop liquor bottles with water, was on book whenever the stage manager, Sharon DiGenova, was otherwise occupied, ran some errands, and did whatever other odd jobs I could conquer.

When you work in theatre, the weeks are long. It can range from difficult to impossible to get the time off you want to for other events that arise. This is something I’ve resigned myself to (or perhaps, am working on resigning myself to,) since making the decision to have a career as a stage manager. The best part about being a volunteer was that I didn’t have to cancel my previous engagements, and was able to take the time I needed to go to my nephew’s first birthday party, and a family wedding.

Also, I got to sit in the audience and enjoy the show on opening night. The last time I was able to do that on a show I worked on was when I directed a one act play in fourth year. Since then, I’ve either been backstage or in the booth on every other show I’ve worked on. My personal preference is for the booth, because then at least I get to watch the show.

This production of His Greatness was staged at the Factory Theatre’s Studio. Working on this show was the first time I’d been in that theatre since I saw Banana Boys in 2005. It occurs to me that I’ve seen my two favourite productions of all time in the very same theatre. His Greatness is hands down my favourite production I’ve ever worked on. I tend to get very attached to my productions and will defend every aspect of it in the face of my friends’ light criticisms. With His Greatness, I was so convinced of its excellence that I couldn’t even imagine my friends criticizing it. And I had every reason to believe so. My guests loved this production, as did the critics. In her review of His Greatness, Sonia Barker writes, “As I write this review I feel immense pressure to be able to do it justice.” I couldn’t agree more. I feel more pressure still, because I knew this play inside and out. I watched this play grow from the ground up as I spent four weeks with it. I could go through the entire script, analyzing every line, explaining my thoughts on each decision, pinpointing my favourite moments, drawing attention to every little detail.

But that's just not feasible. So a brief review is what I can offer instead. I'll do my best to do it justice.

His Greatness is billed as “A potentially true story about two days in the last years of the great American playwright Tennessee Williams.” The story takes place in a hotel room in Vancouver, November of 1980. The Playwright (Richard Donat) and his Assistant (Daniel MacIvor) are in town for the premiere of the Playwright’s latest play. The Playwright wants an escort to accompany him to his premiere, so the Assistant goes out and hires the Young Man (Greg Gale) for the evening. These three actors had incredible chemistry. I particularly enjoyed the scenes with all three of them, as the Assistant and the Young Man vie for the Playwright’s attention. And still, there was so much more between all of them.

The Playwright and the Assistant have spent the past fifteen years together, and know each other very well. Their relationship is at times comedic, as they’ve learned over the years how to spar. The first scene of the play has a lot of this, and as such, is one of the most enjoyable to watch. The Assistant is also a caregiver, and knows how to motivate the Playwright when he doesn’t want to get out of bed, or to reassure him when his feelings have been hurt. Their relationship was once romantic, but now, the much younger Assistant plays a kind of father to the Playwright.

The Assistant selected the Young Man for the Playwright, knowing the Playwright’s type. The Young Man, then, is what the Assistant would have been like fifteen years ago. The Young Man and the Assistant predominantly have a competitive relationship. In the course of one night, the Young Man thoroughly wedges himself between the Playwright and the Assistant, and undoes much of the Assistant’s work.

The Playwright and the Young Man’s relationship has many different aspects. They are conspiratorial, as they arrange to get cocaine behind the Assistant’s back. After the premiere, the Young Man is in awe of the Playwright’s talents, and the Playwright soaks up the adoration. They are sweet with each other, as the Young Man undresses for the Playwright, or as the Young Man reassures the Playwright of his greatness after the reviews cause the Playwright to doubt himself.

The entire action of the play takes place in the bedroom of a hotel suite, a stunning set designed by Kimberly Purtell, and one of the most elaborate sets to grace the Factory Theatre Studio stage. In the first scene, the Assistant rouses the Playwright out of bed in time for a radio interview that does not go very well. The Playwright takes out his frustrations on the Assistant, as the Assistant tries to calm him down. The Assistant urges the Playwright to get ready for the premiere. In the next scene, the Young Man enters and searches the room; the most “incriminating” item he finds is the Bible. The Assistant enters with a suit bag and the two men start preparing for an evening at the theatre. The Assistant forbids the Young Man from getting any drugs for the Playwright. The Young Man hits on the Assistant, but the Assistant resists. The Assistant tells the Young Man what he can expect from a night with the Playwright. He tells the Young Man that the Playwright may ask the Young Man to read to him. The Playwright enters in the middle of an anxiety attack, claiming he doesn’t want to go to the theatre. The Assistant points out the Young Man to the Playwright and his demeanour changes instantly. The Assistant leaves the others alone in the room while he gets the car. The Playwright and the Young Man flirt, and the Playwright asks if the Young Man could procure cocaine. They leave for the theatre. In the next scene, the three men return from the theatre flying high after their successful opening night. The Playwright talks about being inspired to write a new play; the Young Man expresses his new aspiration to act in a play by the Playwright; the Assistant discusses the magic of theatre, and the importance of believing in the moment. While the Playwright is in the bathroom (read: doing cocaine) the Assistant makes a move on the Young Man, and the Young Man responds, “You’re not my type. I don’t go for faggy guys.” The Playwright returns, and excitedly exclaims that they should stay up all night and wait for theatre reviews. The Assistant’s mood has taken a drastic turn for the worse. After he makes a few cutting remarks, the Playwright asks the Young Man for privacy, and demands that the Assistant leave the room. After the Assistant has gone to his own room, the Young Man comes out of the bathroom, and undresses for the Playwright. As act one ends, the Young Man is about to read a passage from one of the Playwright’s plays.

Act two begins the next morning, as the Assistant returns to the Playwright’s hotel room with the reviews. He finds the Playwright up and despondent. Upon learning that the Playwright has been out, the Assistant assumes that the Playwright has read the reviews. He begins to comfort him, when unexpectedly the Young Man returns from some errands he ran for the Playwright. The Young Man claims he’s now on staff. The Assistant assumes the Young Man is trying to con them by sticking around for longer than was agreed upon when the Assistant picked him up the night before. The Playwright appears to be feeling better after taking some “pills for his headache” and says that he’ll be writing a new play for the Young Man to star in. The Assistant is confused by the Playwright’s good mood, and asks if he’s read the reviews. The Young Man finds the review in the trash can, the Playwright reads it, and locks himself in the bathroom. The Assistant tries to convince the Young Man to leave, but he isn’t budging. When the Playwright comes out of the bathroom, the Assistant tries to comfort him, insisting that bad reviews will make him stronger. The Young Man is a fighter, and he doesn’t take to this suggestion. He claims they have to fight back; He thinks they should threaten the critics, or at least talk about threatening them. The Young Man calls out the Assistant, claiming that he doesn’t have the Playwright’s best interest at heart. Things get heated. The Young Man says that the Assistant claimed that the Playwright couldn’t get it up, and is insane. The Playwright asks the Assistant for some privacy with the Young Man, the Assistant is loath to leave them alone, but settles for going into the bathroom rather than leaving the hotel room completely. The Playwright demands to know what exactly the Assistant said about his sanity, and when the Young Man realizes that the Playwright is afraid of being insane, he comforts him, telling him he’s a magician and his plays are magic. The Assistant returns from the bathroom with nasal spray, which he understands to mean that the Playwright is doing cocaine. The Playwright insists that he’s not, and asks the Assistant to call the theatre to arrange an interview with the critics, saying he “deserves a rebuttal to slander.” The Assistant says he’ll call from his room, and leaves the other two men alone. While he’s away, the Young Man does a line of coke on the desk, as the Playwright tells the story of how he met the Assistant. The Young Man realizes that he has more in common with the Assistant than he first imagined. When the Assistant returns, he throws the nasal spray on the bed, where the Playwright dives for it and uses it right away. The Assistant quits his position, and explains to the Young Man everything he’ll need to know about caring for the Playwright. As the Assistant goes to leave, the Playwright recites a little joke they have, “You owe me twenty dollars!” The Assistant throws the money on the bed, squaring up his debt with the Playwright and leaves forever. The two men can think of only one thing to do in his absence: more cocaine. The final scene finds the Playwright and the Young Man coming down several hours later, listening to another negative review on the radio. This scene feels so empty, as both men are filled with despair. The Playwright insists the Assistant will come back, but he is beginning to lose hope. The Young Man realizes that the Playwright doesn’t have any money, and decides that it’s time for him to leave. As he goes to exit, the Playwright offers him twenty dollars, much less than the previously agreed upon price. The Young Man realizes it’s the twenty dollar bill that the Assistant left, and doesn’t take it, saying “He’ll probably want it when he comes back.” The Playwright is left alone on the stage.

The Assistant returns for the final monologue, informing the audience that the Playwright died a few years later in the bathroom of a hotel in New York, having choked on a nasal spray bottle cap. He tells us that he and the Young Man both died of AIDS. He claims that although there is no hope for our characters, there is hope because we, the audience, came to the theatre, and believed in something in the strange, dark, magical theatre.

Kimberly Purtell also designed the lighting which featured many practicals on stage. Lyon Smith was the sound designer, creating beautiful transitions out of a Beethoven composition. Nina Okens was the costume designer, who found simple and elegant pieces that suited the characters impeccably. Ed Roy’s direction was absolutely sublime. And Sharon DiGenova calls a great show.

All in all, I don’t think it would be possible for me to love this play more. It is simply outstanding, and I feel so privileged to have been in this rehearsal hall will these amazing and talented people.