In the world of master fiction writer Franz Kafka, no character controls his own fate.
Just as Kafka so deftly satirized the darkest human condition in much of what he wrote, playwright Theresa Rebeck does the same for that poor sod, the actor, whose own world is rife with hostility, rejection and the superficial undertones of his corrupted profession.
An undiscovered Kafka masterpiece in its Broadway premiere is the hilarious and apropos setting for Rebeck’s exploration of the existential vagaries of show business and of life in “The Understudy,” which opens Friday, Feb. 11 at Whidbey Island Center for the Arts in Langley.
Charged with running the understudy rehearsal for the production, stage manager Roxanne (Deana Duncan) finds her professional and personal life colliding when Harry (Eric Mulholland), a journeyman actor and her ex-fiancé, is cast as the understudy to Jake (Michael Morgen), a mid-tier action star yearning for legitimacy.
As Harry and Jake find their common ground, Roxanne tries to navigate the rehearsal with a stoned lightboard operator, an omnipresent intercom system, the producers threatening to shutter the show and her own careening feelings about both actors and her past. Can she make sure the show will go on?
“The Understudy” is a dazzling and humanistic look at people trying to do what they love in spite of obstacles that build to one frenetic moment when all anyone can do is, well, dance.
Directed by Vito Zingarelli, the play comments on the crumbling American contemporary theater that is more concerned with placing movie stars onstage to inflate ticket sales, than with presenting good theater.
Zingarelli said the question asked by Rebeck with this play is: Can art survive the culture?
“It can and it must,” Zingarelli said of Rebeck’s response with “The Understudy.”
“Broadway is rife with big and not-so-big names,” Zingarelli said.
The corruption within the entertainment industry pushes people to make decisions that have no real basis in art, he added.
“It’s a comment on the state of the industry of which the public is complicit,” he said. “The public is celebrity obsessed, and Rebeck uses that as a big theme in this piece, which makes for some very funny circumstances.”
Zingarelli said that although there is so much story-within-a-story here using the imaginary Kafka play, Rebeck has the skill to remain subtle; she doesn’t hit the audience over the head with the message, but instead manages to be completely funny while getting in her digs at her own profession.
“It’s really about the actors, who are real people in these real-life situations who have to grapple with life in the theater and the celebrity thing. In that way, it’s Kafkaesque,” Zingarelli said.
Ultimately, the play is a comedy that shines a spotlight on romance, regret, rage, art, celebrity and money. But throughout its course, Zingarelli said finally, Rebeck remains hopeful and funny.
Additional creative team members include David Gignac, set and prop design; Dorit Zingarelli, costumes and hair; Patty Mathieu, lighting designer; David Malony, sound; Christen Lien, composer; and Julie O’Brien, stage manager.
Due to some adult language, “The Understudy” is not recommended for those younger than 16. Running time is 85 minutes with no intermission.
“The Understudy” will be at 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and at 2 p.m. Sundays, through Feb. 26. A post-show discussion follows the Sunday, Feb. 20 matinee.
Tickets are $16 for adults, $14 for seniors/military, and $12 for youths on Fridays and Saturdays, and are $12 for all seats on Sundays. Call 221-8268 or click here.
