There is so much praise that should come to any performer who creates from life or from whole cloth.. a one person show. It's lightning in a bottle tossed into a sea of doubt and fear and chance. It's a way. The Way.. The Way that can be described is not The Way.. thanks to Lao Tzu.
In the case of Patient 13 (author / performer Gail Thomas) .. the tiny little upstairs space at the Matrix, the Henry Murray Stage, is a sardine can. It's a 'Living Room" with sparce seating : front row and back row. The ability to work this tiny stage calls for skill and the collaboration with an author and a director and some tech advice that, when it gels, it can be magical. Certainly, Gail Thomas has her 'stuff' together and her story is one that, for her, must be told. Why this preamble? Beause I admire Thomas for sharing intimate moments and being glad that I have never touched my own bladder.
What the audience may almost totally miss is the gorgeous pre- show set of an 'office' that reflects the essence of what Thomas's stories.. are all about. Papier Mache Cows! Why is this little preshow 'office' important? Because it contains the essence of what The Patient 13 story is all about.
Thomas enters and mentions the cows.. but most of us have bounded up the heart attack stairs to the Henry Murray Stage in a rush to find a seat that is advantageous.
We
can't take a minute to enjoy the art. Note to Stage Manager whose
name I cannot find. Open the door to the 'office' and allow the audience
to enjoy it. Whomever did that work . whose name I cannot find.. did a
fine job. There is no set for the performace. really.. so?
Unfortunately, most of the time, the performer is in unflatttering half
light.
The last show I saw in the Henry Murray was the Hitler thing. Again, the "office" was integral to the show.. but I only caught it on the way out..as I did the cows tonight.
Notwithstanding the bravery of MsThomas's's tell all with intimate details story, the upside is that regardless of marginal direction and really inadequate lighting and half of the time straining to understand the actor, there are nuggets of stuff: moments of revelation in her story that, as she recounts them, bringing them to life, we see beyond the recitation to another plane of story telling.
Every one person show rides on the back of the storyteller.. if the show is first person and written by the story teller. Duh.. When Ms Thomas gets to the meat and potatoes..and mushrooms of this tale, the mood and the energy elevate. Regardless of crumby lighting effects (the stalag lights from the Hitler thing are supposed to light the way. They do not)
Regardless.. as we get to the message and leave the crust behind, something happens.
Gail Thomas is a brave woman. The beats of her story .. to me.. were pretty much on one level until the flashy part.. the business of self disscovery and the polemic giving permission to Simply Be.. Just be a person. Just be an actor. Just be a woman. Just... be..
Stage manager Rich Wong
“Patient 13” Written and performed by Gail Thomas / Directed by Dan Oliverio
Opening August 16, 2024 with reception to follow
8pm Fridays,
3pm Saturdays, 1pm Sundays through September 1
Upstairs on the Henry Murray Stage
Recommended for ages 16+
Rogue Machine at the Matrix Theatre, 7657 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90046
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