"Fully Committed"

August 17, 2023 — When Sarah Rozene, artistic director of The Barnstormers, completed her opening remarks to the audience prior to tonight's performance of Fully Committed by Becky Mode, she had one last thing to add. She apologized for the profanity we were about to hear in tonight's performance. Apologizing for profanity in a live play? In 2023? Well, maybe not in Boston or New York, but keep in mind this is Tamworth, New Hampshire. Tonight's play was directed by Dori Robinson and Jordan Ahnquist for The Barnstormers.

I always thought one-actor plays must be the most difficult for that one actor to sustain. He or she has to carry the entire play, both in action and dialog. I've seen several of them, all well-done, but I never saw one handled with the unflagging energy of Doug Shapiro as Sam, the reservations manager for a very busy upper-class New York restaurant.

I've always thought of Shapiro, a veteran of 23 seasons at The Barnstormers, as one of the funniest men in New Hampshire theater, or anywhere else for that matter. He often appears in more than one show in a season, mostly in comic roles but occasionally dramatic, and the only times I've been disappointed were when I felt he wasn't given enough time on stage. He got plenty in this performance. According to the program, he plays forty characters, male and female, each with distinct voice and mannerisms.

As the one person responsible for securing reservations by phone, Sam works in a sprawling, cluttered office with phones on his desk, hidden in file cabinets, a junction box, desk drawers, one in the shape of a banana, plus a few cell phones, one he carries in his pocket. They're all ringing constantly, keeping Sam jumping and keeping several callers on hold most of the time.

Besides self-important restaurant patrons who demand special tables and other conditions, Sam has a boss and other staff members demanding his attention. There's also a human side to the story. Sam's mother passed away during the past year, and his father wants him to join him for their first Christmas without her, but Sam may not be able to get away because there's no replacement for him. An out-of-work actor, Sam is also hoping for a call that he passed a recent audition for a part at Lincoln Center which would get him out of this impossibly demanding job.

Shapiro plays the multiple characters by changing voice, accents and mannerisms. Not only that, but there are many repeat callers he has to remember in order to give them the same treatment. It was a tour-de-force performance for an actor. The near full-house audience demonstrated their appreciation throughout the play with applause and cheers, and gave a standing ovation at curtain call.

Get to know a little about Doug on his website:

https://www.dougshapiro.com/