BWW Reviews: Henry Holden's THE HITMAN AND OTHER SHORT PLAYS Is a Must Read
By: Don Grigware Apr. 17, 2015
The Hitman and other short plays/by Henry Holden
Unlike books about the disabled that prey on your sympathy, The Hitman and other short plays show the disabled living within a mix of regular people, and facing the same conflicts and feeling the same emotions as everyone else. It's one big melting pot of human beings from every walk of life. There are the young and the old; there's new-found love and romance, and then there's marriage; there are politicians, actors and just plain middle class workers at IKEA and and in an optometry store in Wassila, Alaska. Henry Holden creates characters that are simultaneously similar and different...and we can relate to all of them.
Yes, indeed, he shows how difficult it is to be disabled especially when trying to find a life partner. In "The Rejection" a mother Mrs. Morchower goes out of her way to prevent her daughter Terri from marrying Mark, an executive, simply because he walks around on crutches and has a disability. They are truly in love despite the odds, but Morchower hangs on to her prejudice until the end. In "Not Me" again parents' prejudice is at the core. Dora and Murray have a disabled son Larry, who is a successful businessman. When Larry wants to marry Christy, who has a son with down syndrome from a previous marriage, Dora and Murray instantly object and interfere in Larry's plans, thinking they know what is best for him. Sometimes disabled people have the objections as in "Blind Date" where middle-aged and disabled Bradford puts an immediate end to any possible relationship with Deborah when he finds out she is disabled as well. We are left to ponder if and how one disabled person can adequately care for another. Anything is possible, but need becomes the priority and not love. In "The Athlete" Mark wants to go to the same college as girlfriend Lindsey and become a doctor. Mark is a football hero to the delight of his disabled father. When the father learns that Mark will not be playing pro ball any longer, he shuns Mark's desires and wants him to seek out a college on a football scholarship. Mark is not supposed to live his own life but the one his father has envisioned for him, so that the father may live vicariously through his son. There may be selfish motivations expressed by disabled people, but cannot the same be said of people sans disabilities? Selfish motivations come with the territory...for all human beings.
My very favorite is the title play "The Hitman", in which two actors are vying to play the same role, the hitman. One actor Curtis is a mobster type, perfect for the part and the other William, who is disabled, would be playing totally against type. I will not spoil the play by telling you what William does to the casting director, but suffice to say that the disabled actor stands up for himself and puts his life on the line to get the part. Sometimes if you can do it, you have to take the bull by the horns and Go For It! It's a riveting piece of writing where the disabled guy becomes a champion regardless of what the outcome may be.
There are other plays without disabled people such as the amusing "The Encounter" where a man hits on a woman in a movie line, "The Campaign" where a campaign manager teaches a political candidate what it takes to be a winner, and a very funny "IKEA" where a store psychologist interviews a married couple about their responsibilities to IKEA for the merchandise they have purchased. In "I No Speak Good English" a foreigner is given extra special treatment in an optometry store while steady customers must wait. Sometimes it pays to be different in order to get the attention. When that happens, though, it's most likely not kindness and consideration toward those who are different but pure greed on the part of the owners and nothing more.
Holden has an excellent style in all of the short plays.They are little slices of life with natural, free-flowing dialogue. The characters are as real as you can find anywhere, like your relatives, friends and neighbors. Therefore, you will identify instantly with their issues and maybe start to contemplate having more thoughtfulness toward those who are different. What is their struggle like in comparison to yours? Maybe it's harder, maybe it's not. In one play "The Executive" all candidates for the role have a good crack at getting a part. A woman and a disabled man have as much chance as the actor who is type cast. This is not always the case, but it's nice to see the possibility of everyone winning for a change. Henry Holden should know the feeling well, as he is disabled and, despite the multitude of odds, a successful actor, motivational speaker and writer. Vive la difference!
The Hitman and other short plays contains 13 plays with a total of 166 pages. To get a copy, go to Henry Holden's Facebook page:
www.facebook.com/Thehitmanpromo?fref=ts
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