Love is a Four-Letter Word
Keith Nobbs found the process of getting to know the ins and outs of his character for David Mamet's Romance, playing off-Broadway at the Atlantic Theater Company, one of the most terrifying and exciting challenges of his career. Nobbs is no stranger to working off-Broadway. From being cast in Fuddy Meers, Four, Hope is the Thing with Feathers, Free to Be…You and Me and Dublin Carol at the Atlantic. Nobbs is more than happy to return to a company that he admires and respects, especially since he gets to work with Atlantic co-founder and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright David Mamet. Speaking of Mamet--what's it like to meet the iconic playwright? Read on!
"Mamet won't be there tomorrow." I get this message from Matt, our stage manager, the day before our first rehearsal. I think, "What does it mean if Mamet's not there?" Then I think, "What does it mean if Mamet is there?" Then I think, "Why does everyone call this man by his last name?"
I was lucky enough to be invited to be a part of David Mamet's new play Romance. I had performed once at the Atlantic a couple of years ago in the play Dublin Carol. I was thrilled to be invited back. The Atlantic feels like a safe haven in the midst of the theater world: An artistically minded environment centered around the simple pragmatism of good work.
We met David at the second rehearsal. From his plays, I expected someone tough and smart. I was not prepared for his warmth. This quality threw me off guard. My first thought was, "I bet this guy's got really great friends." He listens to everyone equally--from the assistant director to the crew. He gives respect and he gets it in return. Also, he has a contagious excitement. I have often felt that rehearsal is a time to shift focus from the self to the story of the play. The more real and commanding the story becomes, the less focus is on yourself and what you are doing. You become part of a greater whole. It is a relief when I begin to think more about the character than the actor. David is a great articulator for his characters.
Sink or swim, Larry Bryggman, Bob Balaban, Chris Welch, the two Stevens Hawley and Goldstein and Jim Frangione are all amazing. Everyone leaps into the abyss with no thought of ego. Each of us is satisfied being a cog in the wheel. That is a rarity. There are a lot of actors who want to be the wheel.
Neil [Pepe], the director, is also a blessing as our guiding force. He is always encouraging and supportive. He is also an actor and understands what it is to perform. In fact, unavoidable circumstances forced him on the stage as a cover after only two performances. When I made eye contact with him in the final moments of the play, I was moved--not many directors would jump into the fray with their actors.
As I write this, we've been performing for about a week. I have been amazed at the audience response. Knock on wood, people have been having a great time. Mamet flirts with danger in this play. He combines wild farce with sensitive issues of race, sexuality, religion and politics. The result is a play that smashes p.c. boundaries. The hat trick of the play is that it manages to score laughs from people on both sides of the divide. I have never seen humor used so pointedly and effectively.
It's been a ride. Up until the last few days, we had been continually getting rewrites. Learning the play has been the biggest challenge. At times, it was like memorizing a chemistry textbook. "Oh--wait, the 'I, I, I…' has three dots, not two." I'm still not sure how to act three dots, but I'm learning as we go. The rhythm of the language is proving to be our best friend. The play moves like a runaway train. When at full throttle, the lines of dialogue pile on top of each other like a meticulously organized car wreck.
Another big challenge is to keep the momentum of the play. As David said, the play is one long vaudeville sketch--a Marx Brothers movie. The plates have to keep spinning. We can never let the audience get ahead of us. There is no time to sit back and go, "This scene's really going well." The goal is just to stay in the game.
It is rare for things to come together so well. The design of the play, the company, director and the play itself all complement each other. What is exciting for me at this point is where the work will go. There is a huge learning curve when putting up a play. My performance at the beginning of a run is a shadow of what it turns into. As you go, you learn more. You achieve more with less. You trust yourself and others more easily. The play is already a blast. I cannot wait to see what it becomes.