The Madison Repertory Theatre kicked off its fall season last night with the comedic one-act play, Fully Committed,"" written by Becky Mode and directed by Trevin Gay. The play, a one-woman show starring Amy J. Carle, takes place in the basement of a posh restaurant on Manhattan's upper east side. The main character, Sam Peliczowski, is an aspiring actress, but in the meantime is stuck in a high-stress job taking dinner reservations, handling irritated customers and cleaning up other people's messes... customer service in a nutshell.
The setting perfectly complements the story - it's near Christmas and the basement is rather haphazardly decorated with tacky ornaments and hangings. It is, very clearly, a basement. There are water heaters, maintenance supplies, file cabinets, paper stacks... the works. Front and center is a red dial phone, strategically placed to indicate its looming importance. All this, carefully constructed by the scenic designer Marcus Stephens, works to create the ambiance under which the play unfolds.
A general sense of chaos in Sam's life and in the office is immediately obvious - the woman can't even finish her coffee or change clothes before the phone starts ringing.
During an early scene, the phone rings with a commanding, abrasive tone and Sam jumps to answer. As she begins to wade through the holding callers, taking her bosses' abuse and attempting to manage her personal life, the audience immediately understands Carle is playing not only Sam, but everyone else she talks to over the phone as well.
In total, Carle portrays 40 characters, from her bosses and co-workers, to her family and customers.
Each character is well defined and different from the others, as Carle employs a range of vocal inflections and body language to indicate who is on the other line. This technique makes it easy to recognize the recurring characters and become attached to the more outstanding personalities as Carle wows the audience with the sheer amount of distinctly different people she creates.
Sam's life, meanwhile, mirrors Carle's own juggling act as she tries to balance her high-pressure job. She needs to get off work for Christmas, is virtually starving after missing the staff meal and, worst of all, is constantly reminded that she's a wannabe actress stuck taking reservations.
Ultimately, the audience is waiting to see if Sam will be able to troubleshoot her way through the day without assuming the fetal position or grabbing her coat and running from the insanity of customer service. Carle is absolutely delightful in this role, charming the audience and weaving together a network of complex characters in seemingly effortless fashion.
A fast-paced comedy, ""Fully Committed"" proves a success for the Madison Repertory Theatre and provides plenty of laughs for the audience.
