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Maybe Baby, It's You |
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Author: by Charlie Shanian and Shari Simpson
Reviewer: Carolyn Albert for Theatre Reviews Limited |
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For every hand a glove ...
The mating and dating scene has found a pair of optimistic champions in this pair of writers who perform their own material. In fact, anyone who is feeling a bit down - or even extremely despondent about ever meeting the ideal mate should hurry over to the Soho Playhouse to get a transfusion of positive thinking.
  
The tone is set from the opening scene: while a metronome ticks in the background, a good-looking young male (Charlie Shanian) recites complex and picky qualifications for his ideal life partner. Then a lovely and lithe young female (Shari Simpson) recites hers, and she's similarly choosy. Suddenly the metronome ticks faster and faster, so that each one's qualifications drop until s/he will settle for someone who's at least breathing. But then the ticking slows and now each party requires a little more ... and yet a little more.
How efficiently the authors have conveyed a complex idea about time and need. In a series of sequences, very off-beat and unique individuals reject and select potential partners, but never out of desperation. No matter how weird the woo-er, s/he waits for Mr. or Ms. Right. The show's thesis is nicely contrasted with between-scene recorded voices whose opinions about relationships echo opinions we might hear on afternoon talk shows, attitudes that are downright pessimistic. Simpson and Shanian aim to disprove those clichés of modern thought. Ideal love is possible - if you're picky and patient ... and maybe a bit aggressive.
Shanian and Simpson have written themselves a wide range of characters, from children to seniors, that showcase their comic abilities. They show there is humor in disappointment and regret and lots of laughs to be found amidst anger and fear. Imagine the guy who encounters a blind date who turns out to be Medea.
When a very self-possessed girl scout gets rid of inappropriate lab partners, Simpson makes the prodigious Missy endearing by revealing her vulnerability when the perfect match finally appears. During an Anniversary dinner in a restaurant, when his wife does something that truly embarrasses him, Shanian's reactions are so real and natural that we all can feel his humiliation.
The production is so smooth, one can only applaud Director Jeremy Dobrish and all concerned for their supportive contributions. Bernard Grenier's costumes make quick, witty statements. The show is a joy of intelligent organization and amusing observations, tagged with a neat punchline. If you wonder where you can find witty and original writing, go see "Maybe, Baby." I ache to go again, bringing everyone I know. Reviewed December 8, 1999 - open run
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Produced by Madeline Austin, Roger Alan Gindi, Bruce Lazarus, Dana Matthow, Scott Benedict, Libby Anne Russler, and Allan Sandler. Written by Charlie Shanian & Shari Simpson. Directed by Jeremy Dobrish. Scenery by Eric Renschler. Costumes by Bernard Grenier. Lighting by Michael Gottlieb. Sound by Chris Todd.
CAST: Charlie Shanian and Shari Simpson.
Theater: Soho Playhouse, 15 Vandam Street (Between Avenue of the Americas and Varick Street). Nearest subway: Spring Street on "C" or "E" lines; street parking is ample.)
Schedule: Wednesday at 3:00 p.m.; Wednesday through Friday at 8:00 p.m.; Saturday at 6:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m.; and Sunday at 3:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.
Tickets: $35-$47.50. May be ordered through Telecharge: 212/239-6200 or by clicking on "Purchase Tickets" above.
Audience: Will be enjoyed by pre-teens to seniors, no obscene material or profanity.
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