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Forced by the coronavirus shutdown into free-form work schedules and 24/7 snack food, some nonessential people are now experiencing lethargy. Not so Scott Gryder. The actor popped with energy as he reprised his 2019 solo performance of BUYER & CELLAR for Pride Films & Plays in an armchair in his home. At times, he jumped so high in that chair, viewers could glimpse his pastel shorts and bare legs.
Streamed on June 3 – less than a week after protests erupted over George Floyd’s murder under the knee of a Minneapolis police officer – BUYER & CELLAR could hardly have been more inappropriate. And therefore, it was for some, like this writer, a perfect break. Part of Pride Films and Plays (PFP’s) Pride in Place series, Gryder performed Jonathan Tolins’ story of an actor named Alex who is hired to work in the shopping mall in Barbra Streisand’s basement. The mall, built with “totalitarian precision,” is real; the play, as Alex explains, “is a work of fiction.”
Broke and uninsured, Alex takes a job for an unknown VIP, only to discover he is now the lone employee of the megastar’s vast retail cellar. “It was thrilling for a minute,” he observes. “Then it got boring.” After the frisson of seeing Streisand’s “People Who Need People” costume from Funny Girl, he does little more than listen to the whirring of the frozen yogurt and popcorn machines.
Buttered accent, frozen yogurt
Finally, Streisand-as-customer appears and begins to barter with Alex-as-salesclerk for an antique doll named Fifi that blows bubbles. Gryder’s delivery of Tolins’ script – catching the star’s buttered Brooklyn accent with the same totalitarian precision as her mall – was so persuasive, it made this viewer forget the whole thing was happening on a laptop screen peering into a Chicago living room. Was Alex going to hold his ground till Streisand caved in on the price? It got pretty tense.
Then there’s the frozen yogurt moment. Streisand asks Alex to stay late in case she needs something during a dinner party she’s hosting for Senator Barbara Boxer. Alex waits all night, hoping to glimpse the famous politician. Instead, Streisand comes down after hours for a coffee frozen yogurt with sprinkles. A lot of sprinkles. Gryder’s portrayal of Streisand enjoying that treat deserves a spot right next to the Funny Girl dress.
BUYER & CELLAR’s People who need real people
The semblance of a personal connection between Streisand and Alex eventually develops. But Tolins’ actual story is about Alex and his wisecracking Jewish “underemployed screenwriter” boyfriend Barry. Streisand’s woeful upbringing (her stepfather told her she’s too ugly to have ice cream) doesn’t impress Barry. “No one had a happy childhood,” he observes.
As Alex sinks more and more into Streisand’s fantasyland, he disrupts his bond with Barry, the real person in his life. But people who need people are the luckiest people of all, even when it seems otherwise. For this viewer, Gryder’s revisit of BUYER & CELLAR – during a shutdown that puts us either too close or too far from the people we need – was a shot in the armchair.
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Cast:
Scott Gryder
Production:
Jonathan Tolins (playwright), Donterrio Johnson (director)
For more information visit the Pride Films & Plays’ webpage for the Pride in Place series.
Images courtesy of Pride Films & Plays
Click here to read more Picture This Post Pride Films & Plays stories.
About the Author
Susan Lieberman is a Jeff-winning playwright, journalist, teacher and script consultant who commits most of her waking hours to Chicago theatre. Her radio drama In the Shadows aired on BBC Radio 4 last season.
Editor's Note: Click here to find more Picture This Post reviews by Susan Lieberman
