Unique play promises hilarity, hysteria
By John Gregory
Scripps Ranch Theatre begins its 2024-25 season with “Fully Committed,” running Sept. 6-29.
The fascinating aspect of this play is that it only involves one actor who will play all 40 characters in a one act play lasting about 70-minutes. If this incredibly challenging feat leads to a grueling 70 minutes or a delightfully entertaining 70 minutes depends on the talent of actor Dennis Peters and the coaching of director Ted Leib. That’s part of the fun of attending live theatre. Witnessing the results will be well worth the price of admission. Either way, Peters and Leib are “fully committed” to displaying the best dramatic presentation possible as they are in the midst of five weeks and 90 rehearsal hours of preparation.
The plot is based on the personal experiences of playwright Becky Mode. An out of work actor staffs the reservation desk of Manhattan’s finest restaurant. He must deal with a wide array of hopeful diners attempting to secure reservations.
“There’s one described as an old money Park Avenue socialite, terminally dissatisfied. So, she knows what she wants. She expects that table at that time, and if she doesn’t get it, she’s going to make a fuss somehow,” Leib explained. “We have a person who’s a famous actor’s personal assistant who is calling to say we expect this and this. We have others who are not as demanding … but still require attention.”
It’s a frenzied situation. The main character, wearing a phone headset, is dealing with a perfect storm of challenges as he fields calls in the restaurant’s makeshift basement call center surrounded by shelves of canned goods. He is covering for the other two reservation schedulers and is the only one taking calls on this day. Meanwhile, an intercom is buzzing away as the restaurant’s chef, manager and maître d’ contact him. In addition, the story is set a few weeks before the holidays, so members of his family keep calling on his cell phone to see if he is coming home for Christmas. He has to move across the stage since the cell phone is in a different location because that is the only place it can get reception.
“All these people are demanding attention from him. It’s kind of non-stop craziness,” Leib said.
The challenges of one actor pulling this off are obvious. Peters will not only play the reservation scheduler, he must portray everyone he speaks with.
“He will inhabit the other characters right in front of your eyes. He will be carrying both sides of the conversation at all times … whether that means he will turn a certain direction, lifts his voice, takes a step in a certain direction, or several steps,” Leib said, describing ways the actor will ensure the audience will know when he is portraying a different character.
It’s been done before. Possibly most notable is the performance of “Fully Committed” on Broadway in 2016 by Jesse Tyler Ferguson, who is most famous for his role on the hit TV sitcom “Modern Family.”
The timing of this production couldn’t come at a better time in light of the popularity of the TV series “The Bear,” airing on Hulu, which focuses on the frantic inner workings of a restaurant.
“This play does reflect some of that madness. It’s not in the actual kitchen, but it’s certainly connected to that same sense of craziness that you have behind the scenes,” Leib said.
One scene and one actor will not mean the play will be static. Peters is sure to be animated and move about the set, which will be created by longtime set designer Dixon Fish.
“You’ve got to check this out,” Leib said. “It’s going to be acrobatic in a lot of ways – physically, vocally, emotionally.”
The Scripps Ranch Theatre production of “Fully Committed” will be held on the campus of Alliant International University. Purchase tickets online at scrippsranchtheatre.org/showtickets or contact SRT Patron Services at (858) 395-0573. Visit scrippsranchtheatre.org.