Mike and Seth
Written by Daniel Talbott
Directed by Adam Webster
at Side Project Theatre, 1439 W. Jarvis (map)
thru Aug 24 | tickets: $15-$20 | more info
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Charming characters, authentic script make for refreshing all-nighter
The Side Project Theatre presents
Mike and Seth
Review by Joy Campbell
Mike (Derek Garza) and Seth (Michael Manocchio), lifelong best friends now in their early 30s and living in separate parts of the country, are sharing a hotel room the night before Mike’s big, opulent wedding. Rather than indulge in debauchery and crude jokes, however, Mike plunges into an existential crisis as he worries that he’s about to take the first step toward a life of predictable stability.
Writing a play that’s basically two people talking in a room, mostly complaining the entire time, is an act of courage: all it takes is bad director or mediocre performances to sink your script. Fortunately, this Midwest premier by the Side Project does right by Daniel Talbott’s script, giving us a charming and authentic look at the struggle between who we are and what we think we can be.
There is nothing earth-shattering in Mike’s musings or Seth’s cynicism: who hasn’t, at some great fork in the road of life, wondered what they were giving up by choosing one path over another? Who hasn’t been terrified of being left alone while everyone else finds their life partner?
What makes us like Mike and Seth is not that the characters’ circumstances are so extraordinary or deep (they aren’t), but that Mike and Seth are not just another couple of guys telling the same bro-blustery stupid jokes and craving success. Mike is a decent guy: at open, he’s watching porn incredulously, somewhat bored, until his exasperation leads him to declare his hatred for the utter stupidity of it. When talking about the time he tried to cheat on his fiancée, his disgust with himself and the pathetic episode actually kind of endears him to us. Mike is young, handsome, and rich, and he understands that he has no right to be unhappy, but he makes the compelling point that despite his good fortune in life, he’s still entitled to be human. We should resent him, but he’s too sincere, even if his problems are decidedly First World.
Seth talks about his quest to find love in New York when he first arrived years ago; of his need to connect with someone so badly he’d hang out on street corners just for a chance to pick someone up. After a long-term relationship, he finds himself alone again after discovering that his true love cheated on him. His loneliness is palpable, and although we know he’ll be OK, he makes us vividly remember that time in our lives when we were sure we would become that awkward spinster family friend who gets invited to family dinners out of pity.
Garza and Manocchio create a bond that is part sibling, part married couple, and fully believable. One of the sweetest aspects about their relationship is that Seth’s homosexuality is never an issue for them; Mike even jokes about the awkward pass Seth made at him when they were teens. At one point, they agree that had they been made differently, they probably would have married each other. Not heavy, not PC, just two guys with an honest friendship. There’s no bro-awkwardness or fear of physical contact. In fact the one quibble I have is that they share a bed; I find it a stretch to believe that a room at the Dallas Ritz Carlton would have only a single bed. It’s a nice twist, though, to see two guys share a bed without any snickering undercurrent.
And, oh yeah, they are also very funny. Talbott’s dialog rings true, and under Adam Webster’s insightful direction, a sleepless night between two friends grappling with the banal crises of life becomes a hidden world into which we feel privileged to be invited. Garza and Manocchio are terrific and natural; their delivery is never forced. In the end, we like Mike and Seth because we like …Mike and Seth.
Rating: ★★★
Mike and Seth continues through August 24th at Side Project Theatre, 1439 W. Jarvis (map), with performances Thursdays-Saturdays at 7:30pm, Sundays 3pm. Tickets are $15-$20, and are available by phone (773-340-0140) or online through BrownPaperTickets.com (check for half-price tickets at Goldstar.com). More information at TheSideProject.net. (Running time: 75 minutes, no intermission)
Photos by Scott Dray
artists
cast
Derek Garza (Mike), Michael Manocchio (Seth)
behind the scenes
Adam Webster (director, set design), Michael C. Smith (light design), Allison Smith (costume design), Stephen Gawrit (sound design), Holly McCauley (prop design), Dan Cohen (board operator), Renée Witherwax (graphic design), Brian Ruby (production coordinator), John Olson (publicity), Eliott Fredland (box office, ticketing), Scott Dray (photos)
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