Ego Actus
www.egoactus.com
Presents
THE WAY WE GET BY
By NEIL LABUTE
March 31 – April 14,
2019
Urban Stages
259 W. 30th Street (between 7th &
8th Aves.) NYC
Tickets:
https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/4109159
Directed by KIM T. SHARP
Scenic Design by DUANE PAGANO
Lighting and Sound
Design by JOHN SALUTZ
Stage Manager JOHANNA GRIESÉ
Press Representative
SCOTTI RHODES
Cast
Francesca Ravera – André Vauthey
Neil Labute’s THE WAY WE GET BY is essentially an extended conversation
between two singles after what at first appears to be an intoxicated one-night
stand. Over the course of 80 minutes, more about the characters and their
motivations are revealed, perhaps elevating the surface situation to something
more life changing.
The play opens with Doug (André Vauthey)
getting up in the middle of the night and inadvertently waking Beth (Francesca
Ravera). While she clearly wants him to return to her bedroom, he is
obviously resistant for reasons that take a while to become clear. This leads to
the balance of the action, which is the two engaged in an ongoing back and forth
about what happened earlier and what it means.
While THE WAY WE
GET BY features only the couple onstage, Beth’s unseen roommate, Kim,
American Apparel, Star Wars and eventually the couple’s parents all become
touchpoints in the telling of their story. Their intimacy is based on a shared
history going back to childhood, but the cultural references to things like how
the pre-rebranding American Apparel company was operated and trips to Comic Con
serve as roadblocks to having a conversation of any depth.
Only in the
last 15-20 minutes of THE WAY WE GET BY does the audience begin
to understand these characters for more than superficial complaints about
uptight roommates and concerns over vintage, autographed t-shirts. It is at this
point that one might feel they have a stake in the outcome of Doug and Beth’s
union. As written, directed and acted, the production moves along steadily
enough to keep the audience engaged. This is not deep, soul-searching material,
but it has enough to it to be entertaining.
- Kessa De Santis -