The Contemporary American Theatre Company welcomes playwright-screenwriter Kenneth Lonergan’s critically-acclaimed comedic drama “Lobby Hero” to the stage for the first Columbus production of the play.
“Lobby Hero” is set in the lobby of a Manhattan apartment building during the graveyard shift. Throw in a new security guard, a few cops and the question of alibis, to create realistic comedic tale out of the confusions of human interactions. Lonergan takes the “uhs” and “ya knows” of everyday conversation and makes them poetic.
CATCO’s production features Brian Otting as Jeff, the security guard who is the lobby hero.
“This play is great because it takes the way people really talk to each other, discombobulated and with interruptions, and makes it great,” Otting said.
Otting returns to Columbus for his sixth production with CATCO, after taking time to write and produce as well as work on his Web site, www.hermitlore.com.
Otting said the collaboration with director Jonathan Putnam, who is returning for his 13th season with CATCO, makes the play’s great writing even better.
“The collaboration is most fruitful when the actors and director can look at each other and just understand what each other is saying,” Otting said. “That’s another reason this show is great.”
The misunderstandings and comic mishaps of the dialogue in “Lobby Hero” eventually turn into matters of morals, where responsibilities need to be considered and choices need to be made.
“Jeff is a real character, an everyday man that has to make a decision to tell the truth or not, within all the lies he’s surrounded with,” Otting said.
The ordinary characters of “Lobby Hero” reflect the manners of everyday conversations. The characters do not speak clearly and precisely, but Lonergan brings those “buts” and “huhs” together to say something meaningful.
“He is able to take the inarticulate and make it articulate,” said Alan Woods, dramaturg for “Lobby Hero” and director of the Jerome Lawerence and Robert E. Lee Theatre Research Institute.
“I just hope the audience doesn’t think I’m messing up my lines when there’s long pauses and stammering,” Otting said. “That’s just the way it’s wrote.”
Whether writing for the stage or screen, Lonergan has become a familiar name since his successful debut in 1996 with the off-Broadway play, “This Is Our Youth.”
He received a 2001 Best Screenplay Oscar nomination for his depiction of aimless youths in “You Can Count on Me,” which he also directed.
Lonergan also wrote the final script of Martin Scorcese’s anticipated new film, “Gangs of New York.”
“Lobby Hero” was first produced off-Broadway in March 2001 and has received such honors as an Outer Critics Circle Best Play Award, a John Gassner Playwrighting nomination and was included in the 2000-2001 Best Plays annual.
“Lobby Hero” starts its CATCO run tonight with Low-Dough Tuesday, which offers $10 tickets on a first-come, first-serve basis starting at 6:30 p.m. Two preview discounts are available for tomorrow and Thursday nights. The rest of the show runs until Nov. 24 with $27-$33 tickets available by calling the CATCO Box Office at (614)461-0010.
