Review: Audiences Will Love BUYER AND CELLAR at the Panasonic Theatre

Sometimes an idea is so crazy, it just might work. The premise behind the hit Off-Broadway play, Buyer and Cellar is simple - Barbra Streisand has an underground mall in her basement and hires an out of work actor to tend to the shops. The first part of the premise is based in reality; Streisand really does have an underground mall - which she discusses in her book My Passion for Design. The out of work actor working there is the brainchild of playwright Jonathan Tolins.

The story of how the play came about is revealed in the show's opening monologue: Tolins was at a party where he perused a copy of My Passion for Design. Upon seeing the basement mall he asked "Can you imagine if someone had to work there?" From this passing joke, Buyer and Cellar was born.

Tolins has crafted a brilliant 100 minute, one person play. Tolins' play is a magnificent work of fiction - but without a skilled actor in the part of Alex Moore, the out of work actor in the basement, it would just be words on a page. Anyone who's ever been exposed to Streisand will appreciate how well her essence is being played out on stage by the exhilarating Christopher J. Hanke. Hanke begins the play saying he doesn't do an impression of Streisand, and while he doesn't sing "The Way We Were" in drag at any point - by the end of the night you feel like you've spent weeks hanging around Babs' estate.

The play lacks a significant plot, but it isn't missed. Hanke grasps your attention from the moment he steps on stage and tells you "Barbra doesn't do anything run of the mill, but she does in fact, run a mill." (The actual mill is pictured here.) Hanke is also incredibly charming, and everyone walking out of this play will become a fan of his.

The rest of the play details a number of comedic exchanges between Barbra's clerk, Alex, and herself. In one hilarious skit, Barbra comes to the mall and introduces herself under a pseudonym, Sadie. She then proceeds to negotiate with the clerk to buy a doll she already owns. When she doesn't like the price ($850 dollars) she tells him she'll return. "Sadie" eventually returns with a coupon printed on a dot-matrix printer, and designed in Word Perfect 7. Yes, Barbra manages to buy the doll she already owns - on sale. When the clerk tells Barbra he doesn't have change, she exclaims "That's why I never see any other customers!"

According to the play, Barbra's basement mall features a gift "shoppee" (it's spelled out for the audience), a doll shop, an antique store, a vintage clothing store, a popcorn stand, and a frozen yogurt machine. All of this is true and is referenced in the book, and the ridiculousness of it all had the audience laughing constantly.

Tolins has managed to take Barbra's surreal reality and combine it with just the right amount of fictional narrative to deliver a hilarious, witty, and moving night at the theatre. If you've ever listened to a Streisand album, watched her on Oprah, or sat through Funny Girl at any point - this show will have you laughing out loud from start to finish. Those who aren't familiar with her work will still enjoy the play, but may not get all of the humor - which is very specific to who she is as a person.

Buyer and Cellar is playing at the Panasonic Theatre now through November 30th. Tickets are available online at Mirvish.com.

To post a comment, you must register and login.