Have you noticed the sun’s setting around 4.30 these days? It’s getting colder. Everyone is getting ready for the holidays – or listening to other people complain about getting ready for the holidays. When is it going to snow, and have you forgotten that there seemed to be a hole in one of your boots?
Yes, it’s a discouraging time of year. Instead of thinking about misplaced gloves and hat hair, hie thyself to The New Jewish Theatre and into a seat for Fully Committed. In fact, you may want to buy a ticket online beforehand, because I suspect this lovely little folly will sell like hotcakes.
Fully Committed is a one-man, forty-person show about life at a hothothot New York restaurant. More specifically, it’s about a guy in the basement who answers the phone and takes, or doesn’t take, reservations. Most people never think about those folks until they want to go to the most happening place in town at the height of the dinner hour on Saturday night and find the restaurant is – wait for it – fully committed. (The chef-owner prefers that phrase to “booked up” or “an ice cube’s chance in helll”.)
It’s a wretched job, poorly paid, usually no fringe benefits, dealing with demanding customers and even more demanding bosses. Just the thing, then, for a struggling actor like Sam, juggling schedules with the other reservationist so he can do an audition at Lincoln Center, being nice to big shots, placating the irate, remembering what the current set of rules from the chef-owner is, wondering why the other reservationist hasn’t shown up...it’s just another day in the world of Zagat ratings and Bon Appetit photographers cooling their heels for several hours in the lounge.
Will Bonfiglio is Sam, and all the other characters in the show who phone in. Sam’s been at this a while, and he seems like he’s good at his job, good enough to go from pulling his hair out to being sweet and cheerful to the next caller, maybe Gwyneth Paltrow’s assistant calling with yet another adjustment to the dinner party she wants to have Saturday night, just the right table, the vegan tasting menu and she needs you do something about those lights, they’re sort of harsh.
Bonfiglio doesn’t break a sweat at the frequently breakneck pace of character switches, flying back and forth between voices and faces. He’s just plain terrific. And he’s terrifically funny.
Director Ellie Schwetye keeps things moving and a high clip, just what’s needed. David Blake’s set is almost perfect, the single problem being that it’s just too roomy. I’ve been in those basement rooms, and they’re crowded, cluttered and claustrophobic. Not Blake’s fault; he’s reduced the size of the stage considerably. But other than that, it feels so right, you expect the mop bucket to slosh when Sam picks it up.
A delightful 90 minutes or so of escape from the pressures of life.
The New Jewish Theatre
Marvin & Harlene Wool Studio Theatre
Arts & Education Building
Jewish Community Center
2 Millstone Campus Drive
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