FringeNYC 2013: Gotham Radio Theatre's The Awful Truth
Gotham recreates a 1940s radio show where our fictional 40's stars of stage and screen perform The Awful Truth, complete with live sound effects. You are the studio audience that will add the laugh-track to this fabulous screwball comedy.
Official production websiteShow details/ticketing at FringeNYC
Review by Ed Malin · August 9, 2013
It's 1947 inside New York's own Gotham Radio Studio. In a warmly amusing twist on performing classic radio plays onstage, The Awful Truth features a cast of five faux-celebrities who in turn play multiple characters--both human and canine. I had not heard of the 1937 film with Cary Grant, Irene Dunne and others, but this delightful troupe who have recently done Blithe Spirit and will next present Frankenstein are very good at giving new life to these popular cultural artifacts. Sound effects are created live onstage, and many plugs are given to the imaginary sponsor: Happy Camper Frisky Biscuits ("For Your Peppy Little Puppy") John Dough (Michael Iannucci) is an amnesiac actor who is forever on the verge of offending everyone (but not of forgetting his lines; this is radio and they have scripts). Charles Napier (J.T. O'Connor) is the host. Irene Dahlia (Laura Leopard) is the grand dame Russian émigré who simply must appear in a 1940s comedy. There are some jokes about Showboat that pertain to the original movie, I think. Then they discard these personae and jump into rapid comedy mode.
As the drama opens, Jerry Warriner (Michael Iannucci) and Lucy Warriner (Laura Leopard) are very much in love with each other and with their biscuit-eating little dog. Jerry has faked a vacation to Florida so he could hang out with his “normal” friends and avoid his perfect marriage. Lucy has been taking voice lessons for a long time with Armand Lavelle (J.T. O'Connor), and somewhat awkwardly returns home one morning to announce that her car broke down last night and she and Armand needed to stay in a motel together. Jerry jumps to the wrong conclusion, and permits Lucy to save her honor by filing for divorce; from there, they have several weeks before the divorce is final. Lucy and her Aunt Patsy (Jill Ahrold Bailey) on the rebound, as it were, go out and meet a rich Oklahoma businessman, Daniel Leeson (William C. Bailey) who proposes to marry Lucy and take her back to Tulsa.
The story could very well end there, but there is comic entanglement from the Oklahoman mother (ingeniously portrayed by J.T. O’Connor), a battle over the little dog (standout performances by various cast members), Jerry’s attempt to romance blue-blood Molly Lamont (Jill Ahrold Bailey), and much more. Can Mr. and Mrs. Warriner admit that they acted hastily?
There is little not to like in this production. It is a charming story of the kind that should be presented more often. Gotham Radio Theatre, under the direction of Sydnie Grosberg Ronga, have done their best to streamline predictable plot elements. I found the onstage antics as the actors quickly switch roles very diverting. I think this show will appeal to all age groups.
Preview: Interviews with Artists from Gotham Radio Theatre's The Awful Truth
We're asking artists from each show to answer questions about themselves and their work to help our readers get a detailed advance picture of the festival:
Many Faces of Theater · Sydnie Grosberg Ronga (Director)
- What type of theater do you like most to work on?
Comedy - Good comedy can lighten the heart while it touches it, and laughter - well nothing beats that. Screwball is something you don't get to do often and creating the radio script of one of my favorite plays/movies to come to life for radio has been great fun for us. - What is your signature style or aesthetic as a director?
I love to work on a wide range of theatre, but I particularly like to work on shows that have some sense of magic about them - a little unreality is grand - and traveling back in time is always a fun thing to do. Twenties is an absolute favorite period mine so The Awful Truth fits right in there. - Are audiences in New York City different from audiences in other cities/countries where you’ve worked? If so, how?
NYC audiences tend to be more adventurous than many other cities - more willing to go on a wide variety of journeys. - Where would be your ideal working environment: New York in 2013, Shakespeare’s Globe, the theater of Sophocles and Euripides, Stanislavski’s Moscow Art Theater?
Stanislavski had those fabulously long rehearsal periods - so that would be grand - but the freedom we have today can't be beat! - Groucho, Chico, Harpo, or Zeppo?
Of course Groucho was on radio and so clever and funny, Harpo communicated with all those beeps which would be great at the foley table and Chico with the accents... and you always need a Zeppo - how can you achieve comedy without a straight man - so as far as favorite - I guess I end where I began - Groucho - the words!
Theater Beats Movies · Jill Ahrold Bailey (Writer)
- Why is this a play (as opposed to a TV script, webseries, film, etc.?)
Gotham Radio Theater's shows are an unique experience that could never be relayed on film, because they are about the auditory experience. Although the audience is watching actors perform onstage, and watching the sound effects as they are made, the visual storytelling information is essentially removed, allowing the audience to completely engage their imagination to create the picture of the mind. A practice we do effortlessly as children-- create the visual world for entire stories in our mind-- we rarely do as visual media consuming adults. In the Gotham Radio audience, people are engaging with the piece in a way that is truly interactive without ever leaving their seat, because they are providing the pictures. - Which cartoon character would most like this show – Bugs Bunny, Marge Simpson, Charlie Brown, or Casper the Friendly Ghost?
I can imagine Lisa Simpson and Bobby Hill sitting together in a room, eyes closed, listening to the podcast of The Awful Truth -- and laughing so hard they call all the kids in the Charlie Brown gang to get their butts over to listen with them. And of course all the cartoon characters' voice actors would have a special place in their heart for the show, because they all started in radio! - How have you been surprised by the audience response to any of your plays?
People love the visuals that go along with the audio effects- sometimes it's funny to watch their heads go back and forth from the actors at the mics to the sound effects table like they're watching a tennis match. Audiences especially love when a prop is used to make a sound they weren't expecting- like a balloon popping for the cork pop of a champagne bottle. The visuals of sound effects get as many laughs as the jokes sometimes! The other surprising thing about the audience interaction with the show that is a bit unusual: people like to experience the show with their eyes closed! The first time I looked out into an audience and saw four audience members in the front row with their eyes closed I thought, "Great, I've put them all to sleep..." only to notice that they were sitting, eyes shut, and making facial reaction expressions along with the show. I've never seen someone do it for a whole show, but often an audience member will "test" the radio experience in the house by closing their eyes for a few minutes as they follow the story, laughing out loud. For the older people in the audience, I think there is a bit of nostalgia about listening to our show the way they did to radio in their youth; for the younger people in the audience it's a completely novel experience that they are almost in disbelief of until they close their eyes and just listen. - Are there filmic elements in this play (e.g., video, projections, montages, quick fades, etc.)?
The essential film element that, if done well, is completely overlooked is also the key ingredient in our shows: Foley, the art of making sound effects. Everything that Hollywood does to create sound effects in film began in radio, and so many of the same tricks of the trade that are used in filmmaking are what we do on stage: punching pillows for fisticuffs, crash boxes, palming shoes and "stepping" on rock salt for walking on snow. It all began in radio. - Why should audiences see live theater instead of just watching videos on the internet?
I would be the last person to stand up and say that theater or radio is better than film, or that film is the ultimate champion in entertainment. But even if you could make an argument for either's superiority, it would be a foolish argument to limit audiences to just one. Attending live theater, and feeling engaged and aware in the intimate way that only live theater can provide, informs on our cinematic viewings by challenging us to look past what is presented on screen. Attending a Gotham Radio show, and seeing live sound effects created in front of you, you will never listen to a film the same way again. It all enhances our artistic appreciation and understanding. Why limit your artistic consumption to just one media form, when the festival provides a feast of options?
The Folks Back Home · Michael Iannucci (Other)
- Who are your role models as an artist?
Sidney Poitier was my inspiration. As a kid I would watch his films and just wanted to be able to do what he was able to do. I saw this larger than life heart and soul on the screen. He always told the truth in his acting. His work just blew me away. Also, how he carried himself...represented himself. But I'm inspired by so many. I have a lot of time for people who can keep their sanity, their sense of joy, their passion for the work in this business. Cynicism, a laissez faire attitude about the work...not my cup of tea. - How has the place where you grew up influenced your work as an indie theater artist?
I come from a working class background. And, as a former acting teacher once said to me, "Acting is a blue collar job." And I think he's right. My mother and father were hard-working, nurturing people. It helped set the tone. - Are you a New Yorker? If not, would you like to be?
Not a native New Yorker...originally from Philadelphia. I'm happy with my Philadelphia heritage. But NYC has such an immediacy to it. Such energy. And so much artistic diversity. - Who would like your show the best: Mom, Dad, High School Teacher, College Roommate?
My Mom. She's an old-fashioned gal and used to "watch" the radio way back when. And she loves the old Hollywood movie stars. So this will be right up her alley. - Where would be your ideal working environment: New York in 2013, Shakespeare’s Globe, the theater of Sophocles and Euripides, Stanislavski’s Moscow Art Theater?
The Royal Shakespeare Company/Steppenwolf. The idea that a company of artists spend months on a project...spend months with each other...no star system...being allowed to stretch and grow artistically...being allowed to take chances with a safety net. What could be better?
All About My Show · Laura Leopard (Actor)
- Complete this sentence: My show is the only one in FringeNYC that...?
Is like an old time radio show! We were inspired by the old Lux Radio Theatre show and are performing a classic old movie as a 1940's radio show. - Tell us about the character or characters that you portray in this show.
All the actors assume 40's personas, mine is Irene Dahlia, a famous Russian actress who is now a US film and Broadway star. 'Irene' is an actor in the Awful Truth, who plays Lucy Warriner. It may sound confusing, but it's a ton of fun and the 40's characters really add to the entire production. - What moment or section in this show do you really love to perform? Without giving away surprises, what happens in that moment and why do you love it?
There is a great 'cross over' phone conversation that is funny and touching at the same time. I love that moment, it was great in the movie with Irene Dunne and Cary Grant and it works so well in our radio version too! - Which school or system of acting has been most useful to you in your career, and why (examples: The Method, Uta Hagen, Viewpoints, etc.)?
There is no particular school of thought for me- I have tried several and they weren't for me. Why think of your dead dog when your character needs to cry? Being true in the moment should be all an actor needs. - What's your favorite pastime when you’re not working on a play?
Playing with my sweet little Annie- her alter ego is Sasha, Irene Dahlia's dog that she rescued from the Moscow Circus (long story involving Boris the knife thrower). Life and theater intersect on several levels!
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