Perseverance Theatre tackles fanaticism of fame, careers in the arts with new comedy
- Ellie Ruel
- 6 hours ago
- 4 min read
‘Buyer and Cellar’ to open as the theatre's second play of season Friday
By Ellie Ruel
Juneau Independent
In the dark of winter, Perseverance Theatre’s upcoming production is finding light and humor in the glitzy depths of Barbra Streisand’s basement shopping alcove.
“Buyer & Cellar” puts the spotlight on struggling Los Angeles actor Alex More as he grapples with parasocial celebrity worship after landing a peculiar gig working at entertainment star Streisand’s Malibu estate. Playwright Jonathon Tolin drew inspiration for the comedic one-man show from Streisand’s 2010 book “My Passion for Design” which details her creation of a basement shopping mall to curate antiques and memorabilia.
“The playwright created this imaginary scenario, ‘What if someone went to be basically a shopkeeper?’ The play deals with the nature of celebrity worship and fame, and how do people grapple with getting to know a celebrity? Do you ever feel like you really know them? Can you actually develop a real substantial relationship with them?” Director Colby Bleicher explained.
The single-person cast comes with some challenges, since lead actor Lawson Lewallen has to perform and memorize every single line in the play, while making sure character switches are believable. Bleicher and Lewallen used the character of Sharon, Streisand’s grouchy house manager, as a touchstone during rehearsals.
“Typically you're working with a scene partner, so you have someone else to react to and work with, and instead, I'm having to create both sides of every scene, every conversation. So it just takes a little bit more preparation, I guess, in that sense, that you have to sort of know what each character is going to bring to the table, instead of just one character in a scene,” Lewallen said.
He embodies the roles of Streisand, her husband James Brolin, an HR manager from Disneyland, her house manager Sharon, and Alex More’s boyfriend Barry, but he can personally understand More’s character.
“I relate to him a lot being an actor who's trying to make it big, and working on your dreams and I think it's interesting, his character idolizes Barbra in this way. She, to gay men and to actors, is this beacon of success,” Lewallen said. “I think it's been fun to be in this position of Alex's position, and to be dealing with ‘this person is the goal.’”
Throughout the play, More’s character explores the allure and cost of stardom, employment dynamics, and the achievability of the American dream through aspirational media through peppy, fast-moving comedic storytelling.
“In Alex’s case, he gets so involved in his job that is not a part of his larger career dreams that he loses sight of himself and his own dignity in his boyfriend's opinion, and how all of that ties into whether or not this concept of achieving the dream is really actually achievable,” Bleicher said.
Lewallen grew up in Georgia, performing in community theaters and doing film and television work through high school. After graduating, he pursued musical theater and took a role on a cruise ship, where he got to know Juneau over a few summers. When he saw the listing for “Buyer & Cellar” he jumped at the chance to work with the local arts community.
“I've loved the show for a long time. I worked on it as an intern when I was in my undergrad, like, front of house for some theater. In Juneau, I saw the listing and I was like, ‘Oh my God, that sounds like an amazing opportunity,’” Lewallen said. “It's been cool to come back and sort of be welcome in this community, and welcome to Perseverance. And get to work on some art here for people that are local.”
Bleicher lives in Denver, but returned to Juneau to direct "Buyer & Cellar. She also has ties to the state, as she grew up in Anchorage and did some directing work there after college with a strong background in contemporary comedies.
“I have a lot of friends who are very much in the hustle of being professional actors. It feels like hanging out with a friend in a way, because as we're getting to know this character, we all know people like that,” she said.
For this production, Bleicher used Streisand’s approximately 970-page autobiography as research material, noting her broad range of artistic talents and long list of achievements made her an interesting personality to delve into.
“She talked a lot about her attention to detail, whether she's performing or producing, but for me to be a director and to be listening to her talking about what it is like to lead an artistic process and to have extremely high standards, and the nerve to express it, even though some people are like, ‘All right already, like, we got it. You want it to be just right.’ It was very inspiring,” Bleicher said. “Barbra Streisand would never say, ‘Well, it's good enough.’ And so it makes me never want to say, ‘Well, it's good enough.’”
“Buyer & Cellar” will run Dec. 5-21, officially opening Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Perseverance Theatre. Tickets and additional showtimes are available at the Perseverance Theatre website.
“Being from Alaska, I've done a lot of theater in the winter, and it certainly is my preference to do this kind of theater in winter. Sometimes it's hard to motivate yourself to do something in the evenings, but to do a nice, joyful comedy like this one? It's easier,” Bleicher said.
• Contact Ellie Ruel at ellie.ruel@juneauindependent.com.
