By TR Robertson Photos by Aaron Rumley
The World Premiere of Paul Slade Smith’s latest play, “Beside Myself”, on stage at Solana Beach’s North Coast Repertory Theater, is a clever, witty and very funny play with an interesting premise that will have you discussing the choices made long after you leave the theatre. The first play for North Coast Rep’s 44th season, “Beside Myself”, was commissioned by NC Rep’s Artistic Director David Ellenstein from Actor and Playwright Paul Slade Smith. Smith has written three other successful plays performed at NC Rep, “Unnecessary Farce” “The Outsider”, and “The Angel Next Door”. “Beside Myself” will undoubtedly also be equally successful, if even not more so. One major reason will be the tremendous performance by Smith’s wife, Erin Noel Grennan, in the lead role in the comedy. Erin is returning to NC Rep having performed previously in “The Angel Next Door” and “Incident at Our Lady of Perpetual Help”.
You knew this play was going to be something different the minute you walked into the theatre and looked at the set on the stage. The predominately blue and white set consisted of blue walls with 2 sets of white double doors, 5 single white doors and 16 white cabinet doors of varying sizes. There was a clear small plastic table with a high-back chair and a clear plastic chair next to the desk. There were also 3 blue plastic chairs near the middle of the wall and a wooden table in front of these with some magazines on it. The first scene is set in what we will soon find out is supposedly a doctor’s office, only later to find out is a dentist’s office. This becomes the scene for a hilarious situation involving a woman, Gemma played by Erin Noel Grennan, who is extremely anxious about being in public and in what she thinks is a doctor’s office along with meeting two people who make her nervous, especially when she finds out she is really in a dentist’s office. Both places make many people anxious in the first place. This theme of anxiety will be the driving force for the rest of the play. Begging the question – If there was a procedure you could have performed on you that would take all your worries or anxious moments away; Would you have such a procedure done? And – if you found out this procedure took your empathy for others away, would you care?
As mentioned, Erin Noel Grennan plays Gemma, an overly neurotic and anxious woman who wants to change her life. A revolutionary “minimally invasive brain procedure” will lead to a double identity crisis as she becomes two different versions of herself, with hilarious outcomes. Erin’s physical performances as her “real self” battling the new Gemma is absolutely outstanding. Thomas Edward Daugherty plays “boyfriend” Colin and several other characters. As the empathetic Colin, who finally discovers what Gemma is going through, he portrays a caring and protective partner. Jacquelyn Ritz portrays Dr. Thatcher and others. As Dr. Thatcher, Jacquelyn makes the doctor seem “sickily empathetic” to the plight of Gemma’s life, but you feel there is something else going on, and there is.
Other standout performances come from Matthew Henerson as Gemma’s no-nonsense building supervisor Karl and he also portrays another of Dr. Thatcher’s patients and others. Christopher M. Williams portrays Jerry, a feisty, out-spoken neighbor in Gemma’s apartment building and he also plays another of Dr. Thatcher’s patients and others. Alanna J. Smith plays Sylvie, Dr. Thatcher’s assistant and others. Sylvie, she has gone through Dr. Thatcher’s procedure and is an over-the-top example of a person who does not have a care in the world. She will be a key reason Gemma discovers the situation she is in. Each of these characters, with the exception of Dr. Thatcher and Colin, are amazing when as a character who has gone through Dr. Thatcher’s procedure they switch back and forth between who they really are before the procedure and the person they have become from the procedure. Especially funny when Dr. Thatcher is operating the programmer that controls what was done to them. It makes for some very funny and quick paced moments on stage. All of the performers, with the exception of Alanna J. Smith, are North Coast Rep veterans. This is Alanna’s first performance at NC Rep.
The comedy is directed by NC Rep Artistic Director David Ellenstein. His Creative Team consists of Stage Manager Shannon Humiston, Set Designer Marty Burnett, Light Designer Matthew Novotny, Costume Designer Alina Bokovikova, Sound Designer Aaron Rumley, Prop Designer Michael Wogulis, Hair & Wig Designer Peter Herman and Production Assistant Victoria Hua.
The whole concept of being able to change someone’s personality and to control what happens to them touches the area of sci-fi, but in today’s world, it may be more real than we would like to imagine. The play is a comedy, and it is well written, funny and beautifully acted; but the reality of what is attempted is a little darker than most would like to think about.
“Beside Myself” will be on the NC Rep Stage until Sunday, October 5th. Tickets are available at www.northcoastrep.org or call 858-481-1055. There will be a talk back session after the September 19th performance. NC Rep is located at 987 Lomas Santa Fe Drive, Solana Beach. Next up for NC Rep will be “Eisenhower: This Piece of Ground” beginning on October 22nd. The Theatre School @ North Coast Rep will present “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” on October 16-19. Go to www.northcoastreptheatreschool.org for more information.
