By Bridgette M. Redman
While life is made of moments, comedies sparkle when those moments are knit by plot or unified by character transformations. Lacking that, it becomes a doppelganger of "Seinfeld"-style situation comedies.
"Mr. Sims Will See You" is thematically weak and light in plot, making it a delightful dalliance with amiable people in an amusing situation that says relatively little.
"Mr. Sims Will See You," with its perpetually future-tense title, premiered at the Grand Ledges Playhouse June 11 with playwright Eileen O'Leary in residence. Directed by Bill Helder, the two collaborated in helping the Capital TheaterWorks co-artistic directors create a middle-aged married couple trying to sustain a career in theater. Kevin and Tanya Burnham play Jeremy MacQuarrie and Elise Mayhew, two theater artists who are giving in to a Hollywood seduction in order to get desperately needed money.
Founders of a theater company that does Shakespeare, O'Neill and other "serious" work, the characters are currently in a Los Angeles suite waiting for Elise to be picked up by a car that is going to take her to a meeting with a well-known producer of Hollywood blockbusters. She's been asked to fill a small role — Pope Joan — in a time traveling movie that has already had several iterations. Her husband, who went to college with Mr. Sims, the producer, is along for moral support.
The roles could have been custom-made for the Burnhams, making it possible for them to do character research by looking in the mirror or consulting their own life stories. They had an authentic chemistry and perfect timing. They effortlessly moved through mood changes, expressing frustration and joy so genuinely that they delighted the audience while seemingly remaining oblivious to them.
"Mr. Sims Will See You" tickles the audience with the absurd situations and the appealing interaction between the characters both onstage and offstage. Kevin Burnham as Jeremy had frequent phone conversations with unseen characters, which he pulled off with expressive aplomb.
Especially impressive on the part of the director was the pacing of the show, one hampered only slightly by the execution of scene changes that often took too long despite the hilarious transition music. Given that the playwright was in residence, it might have been possible to tweak a few of the things that needed to change between scenes. Or perhaps the director could have had either the actors carry them on and off during the lights out or at least provide the stage manager with a tray or tub so that she didn't have to make multiple trips on and off.
The set was also beautiful — delightfully painted in modern pastel colors and built to underline the poshness of the hotel suite while providing plenty of room for the physicality of the comedy. Given the high standard of production values, there were a few touches that might have helped: the telephone could have been more modern and the door could have been made more "hotel-like" by adding one of the legally required sign postings and a deadlock or chain.
The clever costuming made great use of a spare but bold color palette, contrasting the main characters with their setting. It helped illuminate how out of their element they were — like a cubist painting hanging in an impressionist museum.
"Mr. Sims Will See You" has the audience stretching its ability to suspend disbelief. If the couple is so broke, how do they manage to keep staying in this suite? Have they put it on a credit card? Why don't they ask the studio that keeps putting them off to pay their expenses or to put them up in another location? Why is the hotel phone used so much and not cell phones? Why don't they ask to see someone else when Mr. Sims is not available?
While the show is constantly enjoyable to watch, it is ultimately a comic sketch that doesn't go anywhere. The characters end in the same place they started. They have some lovely "couple moments" along the way, but both experience little change and development. They'll go home in debt, but not very different as people.
There are moments that come close to a theme. The audience is invited to ask questions about the wisdom of relying on someone else to make or break you, to smile at the crazy financial risks we'll take to affect a change in our lives, to balance the need to be practical with the desire to pursue one's ideals, to ponder what it really means to support someone through thick and thin, to shake one's head over the cruelty of those who play with trusting souls. "Mr. Sims Will See You" even floats the possibility that the events are all an elaborate revenge scheme. However, all of these remain possibilities that never fully bloom.
Given the relative shortness of the play and a pacing that is neither too slow nor too fast, there is room to further develop the story. It is entertaining and has a great deal of potential. With a few additions, some of the mysteries could be cleared up and might no longer leave the audience walking away with the observation that not much happened. If you're going to leave an audience wondering, there should be a reason. It should be an invitation for them to explore the what-if possibilities of different scenarios.
Then again, "Seinfeld" was a highly successful comedy about nothing that lasted for many years. One could do worse.
REVIEW:
'Mr. Sims Will See You'
. Capital TheaterWorks at The Ledges Playhouse, 133 Fitzgerald Park Dr., Grand Ledge. Friday-Sunday through June 20. Free; by donation. 517-944-0221. http://www.capitaltheaterworks.org
