By Sandi Masori
SAN DIEGO — The Old Globe frequently commissions new plays to be written or adapted from old texts. Such is the case with Bartleby, the newest production at the Globe. Originally written by Herman Melville, this mid- 19th century tale was adapted by Fiasco Theater and re-written by Noah Brody and Paul L. Coffey.
Set in a lawyer’s office (Andy Grotelueschen), Bartleby (Michael Crane) comes seeking employment as a new scrivener (person who copies documents). He is an odd sort, who doesn’t talk, or eat, or socialize, but he copies faster and more accurately than anyone the lawyer has ever seen and so gets the job.
The office already has some quirky employees, like Turkey (Matt Dallal) who does great work in the morning, but has a tendency to get drunk at lunch and so his afternoon performance is not as good as one might like. But it’s ok, because we also have Nippers (Devin E Haqq), Nippers has intestinal issues that make him really prickly in the morning, but he settles in by the afternoon. So when Turkey is on form, Nippers is off, and vice versa. Then, to add to the chaos, there’s also a 12-year-old apprentice named Ginger Snap (Myka Cue).
Everything seems to be moving along rather well until the lawyer asks Bartleby to join in on proofreading the copies to make sure they’re accurate. “I’d prefer not to” Bartleby replies. His quiet refusal is unheard of, and it leaves the entire office in chaos. From there, all other requests, short of doing the copying, get the same response, “I’d prefer not to.”
He will not explain why he would rather not, or suggest alternatives of work that he would do, he just quietly and respectfully repeats that he would prefer not.
The sympathetic lawyer tries hard to meet him where he’s at, tries hard to move him, even to befriend him, but Bartleby will not yield. Chaos ensues.
Parents of neuro-spicy kids will resonate with the lawyer’s frustration while trying to be kind and also get the work that he’s paying for.
The stage here is almost its own character. It’s the first time I’ve seen a stage in a theater-in-the-round that moves around. For this performance, scenic designer Lawrence E. Moten III created an imaginative set with a rotating stage that serves to both increase the feeling of chaos and mark the passage of time. As with all shows on a stage with no walls, the set pieces and props have to be carefully thought out so they don’t block the actors but also allow the audience to be transported into the scene. Moten excelled on all counts.
All of the actors were superb. The timing was incredible- there are several long pauses in the dialogue, designed to increase the tension, or humor. It’s hard not to rush the next line under those circumstances, and the actors, under the direction of Emily Young, did it flawlessly and the audience responded in kind.
While there’s nothing controversial in this performance, I don’t think I would recommend it for young kids as they might not get it.
The show is about 77 minutes long with no intermission. It moves pretty quickly.
Bartleby plays at The Globe through March 22.
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Associate Editor Sandi Masori is a theater and food reviewer for San Diego Jewish World. Additionally, she helps people self-publish and dabbles in video production.