Review: Theatre UCF's THE UNDERSTUDY is Uneven, Existential Back-Stage Farce

Complaining about movie stars on Broadway has become a popular pastime for theatre folk, however, the occasional uproar hasn't stemmed the tide of A-listers looking to get back to, or establish, their legit roots. This theatrical divide is at the center of Theresa Rebeck's THE UNDERSTUDY, playing at Theatre UCF's Black Box through October 4th. The dark, back-stage comedy, while occasionally providing poignant personal moments, struggles to settle into a specific tone for any impactful length of time, occasionally playing like a NOISES OFF farce, at others as AN ACTOR'S NIGHTMARE-type fever dream, and still others as a satire on the theatre's (and popular culture's) obsession with celebrity. Unfortunately, despite Mark Brotherton's brisk, thoughtful direction, the production is never able to unpack all of the sloppily assembled concepts in Rebeck's script; resulting in a mildly entertaining, mildly thought-provoking, but ultimately unsatisfying show.

THE UNDERSTUDY focuses on the Broadway-mounting of "Kafka's lost masterpiece," which has been adapted into a two-hander star-vehicle for a pair of movie actors of varying levels of fame. The titular understudy is Harry, a bitter theatre veteran, who shows up for his put-in rehearsal a few months after the play has opened to positive reviews. Jake, a low-level action star, with a recent Box Office breakout, is one of the show's leads, but illogically is also the understudy for the even bigger movie star, an unseen Bruce. Upon meeting, Jake and Harry instantly stake their claims to intellectual and artistic superiority, while the normally level-headed stage manager Roxanne, who has a complicated history with Harry, tries to keep them on task. What follows is a Murphy's Law-proving set of situations that challenges the characters' nerves and life choices.

The play is at its best when the characters are at their most personal. At first, they all cling to the roles that they believe they should be playing, either out of ego, status, or job, but when the rehearsal's events break them down, and they can just be honest, Theatre UCF's actors finally have a few fleeting opportunities to shine. Chief amongst them is Helena Whittaker as Roxanne. While she never seems to be as frazzled as the text would indicate, when the burden of her professional and personal disappointments come to a head, Whittaker is effectively heartbreaking. At times she's forceful, she's alluring, and she's desperate, all of which results in the only truly authentic performance of the evening.

Colton Butcher and Terry Farley are at a significant disadvantage in the authenticity department as it is difficult to believe anything that either Harry or Jake says. Both characters have a feel of a well-rehearsed veneer; they look real, but are far too polished to be believable. It is as if both characters are forced to play roles on-stage and off, because they don't fully know who they are as actual individuals. This is frustrating for the audience, because you know who the characters should be, but what you see on stage never bears that out. Whether this is a product of the acting or the writing is unclear, but I would venture to guess that it is a little bit of both.

For example, though the unnamed lost play seems to have the traits of a Franz Kafka work; terrifying isolation, a bureaucratic nightmare, unexplainable transformations; the text itself is laughably pretentious. While this presumably could be Rebeck's literary critique of Kafka, when the characters find the ridiculous dialogue to be life-alteringly impactful and profound, it undermines their believability as realistic people.

Whether or not Harry is acting, Butcher always appears to be performing; making it difficult to connect and empathize with him as a real person. Farley has a few more moments of honesty, but also feels more forced than felt.

Ultimately, THE UNDERSTUDY crumbles under the weight of its own failed attempts at cleverness. Though opportunities of depth and relevance seem to be there, Rebeck keeps the proceedings slight, instead deciding to focus on existential B.S. It is almost as if Rebeck puts enough ideas for three scripts into THE UNDERSTUDY, robbing her of the chance to fully explore any. At one point, Harry admits that he doesn't really understand the deep complexities in Kafka's play; unfortunately, I don't know if there is a whole lot of depth to understand in THE UNDERSTUDY. The one significant theme that you do take away from the show is the cruelty and uneasiness of a life lived in the theatre

The cool, appropriately impressionistic set by Bert Scott admirably recreates what could be on a Broadway stage in Theatre UCF's smaller space. And, Costume Designer Sarah Johnson deserves extra credit for having all three characters enter wearing scarves; Rebeck, and her TV avatar SMASH's Julia Houston's, signature accessory.

While the script doesn't rise to the playwright's own lofty expectations, it does allow for an interesting analysis of life as an actor, while providing a fairly astute commentary on the state of affairs in the theatre today. THE UNDERSTUDY runs approximately 100 minutes without an intermission. To purchase tickets, visit Theatre UCF's website or call (407) 823-1500.

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Did you see Theatre UCF's season opening show? Let me know what you thought in the comments below, or by "Liking" and following BWW Orlando on Facebook and Twitter. You can also chat with me about the show on Twitter @BWWMatt. If you want to follow along with my "366 in 366" articles, you can check out #BWW366in366 on Twitter.

Photo Credit:
1) Terry Farley, and Helena Whittaker, Colton Butcher: Tony Firriolo | Theatre UCF
2) Helena Whittaker: Tony Firriolo | Theatre UCF
3) Terry Farley and Colton Butcher: Tony Firriolo | Theatre UCF

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