Amateurs

     I had no idea what Amateurs was about when a friend asked me to join them last week. All I knew was that it was a show and it was free. As we walked into the theater, I noticed the stage was used not only for the set but for the audience as well. It made me very excited as we took our seat on stage. The set included the open living room of a couple who were hosting the cast from the Timberly Troupers musical. It took me a while to understand that the couple that lived there were actually a couple and not a man and his caretaker. The first scene consisted of getting the house ready for the party like putting out chairs (which the husband did all night), bringing food out, and cleaning. The second half of the first scene is where all the party guests arrived. This is where we met Jacob Rosen (playing the role of Nathan Miller) and later his puppet Horace who's face is the cover of Amateurs. The group talked about their play and eventually brought up stories about past relationships and careers. At the end of the first act, the critic finally arrives. Everybody pesters her about giving them a glimpse of her review. She never gave in of course, but had a heart attack before she could really begin to enjoy the party. After intermission, the critic is gone (in the hospital) and the rest of the party seems to gone as usual. Awkward relationships form between a girl and Horace; relationships also break with Mona and this older man. After all the chairs were brought out, someone finds the critic's review. One guy in particular goes absolutely berserk and nobody can calm him down! It was annoying because he wouldn't listen to anybody and calm down. The play came to an end with Horace forgotten and alone on the couch.
     Amateurs has to be one of the weirdest shows I've ever seen. There was so much going on it was hard to follow. I have to admit: at some points during the show, I was really confused. It was either a sexual joke or random topic (like infected gums) that would throw me off. Everybody in the cast did a good job acting, but it the couples in the play didn't seem believable. With one set for the entire play, I don't know how they all memorized their lines! I spoke with Jacob Rosen the day after and congratulated him on that exact point about memorization. He said it was particularly difficult since he had to memorize his own characters lines as well as Horace's (the puppet). From the cover, and going in to the play with no background, I presumed it would be about a creepy puppet. This was not the case at all! Overall, I didn't like the play as much as I would of hoped. However, I loved the guest star (the one who was constantly grabbing chairs) and Jacob Rosen as his character seemed the most real.