Fully Committed, by Becky Mode; starring Neil Thackaberry at Actors' Summit

Well received, a delight to work on, an altogether satisfying project, and a lot more fun to direct than it would have been to memorize! A real mine-field, Neil made his special magic come alive in a thoroughly human little play... the reviews follow:

Actor ages role for a fresh, funny take on 'Committed'
Tuesday, January 18, 2005 Tony Brown, Plain Dealer Theater Critic

Actors love a challenge, especially one that entails them being onstage, alone, for an entire evening. Which helps to explain why we're seeing the second opening of "Fully Committed" in as many months.

The play - by playwright Becky Mode and based on real-life experiences of Cleveland native Mark Setlock, the New York-based actor who first performed the show off-Broadway - has some 40 characters. A single actor plays them all.
Nick Koesters, one of the best youngish comic actors in Cleveland, won good reviews for a November-December production at the Beck Center for the Arts in Lakewood.
Now Neil Thackaberry, the actor-director-impresario at Actors' Summit in Hudson, has jumped into the pell-mell, 90-minute marathon. Although he's considerably older than Setlock and Koesters, Thackaberry proves he can still go the distance, and with style.
The central role - that of Sam Peliczowski, like Setlock an aspiring actor who works taking phone reservations at a trendy Manhattan restaurant where reservations are impossible - is a young man's part, both because it requires stamina and because it's written that way.
Thackaberry proves more than capable, slam-banging through a torrent of characters bent on harassing our poor hero: a French maitre d', an egotistical chef, a pesky Gourmet magazine writer and a whole phalanx of would-be diners, ranging from supermodel Naomi Campbell to a clueless tourist.
He and director Wayne Turney, who does a superb job keeping Thackaberry and the play between the ditches, alter the script slightly to accommodate the actor's age. After a very short while, it ceases to be an issue. Middle-aged aspiring actors work thankless jobs, right?
More importantly, Thackaberry and Turney understand the play to be more than just lots of laughs deriving from precise, 120 mph changes in character, as Sam works two phones and three intercoms, covers for a missing co-worker, lobbies for a role at Lincoln Center, deals with his recently widowed father and cleans up the ladies' room after a diner has an accident there.
The script is laugh-out-loud funny, and Actors' Summit masterfully mines most if not all the yuks. But in addition to a comic set-piece, Mode and Setlock have constructed a convincing portrait of greed and consumerism, Manhattan-style.
It's not enough just to be rich and famous. You have to flaunt it.
When Sam tells the tyrannical chef he has messages from Jamie Lee Curtis, his yoga instructor, his Ferrari dealer and mother, the chef asks, "Oh, what did the Ferrari dealer want?"
Thackaberry delivers the line with just the right blithe, deadpan expression to convey the jaded boorishness intended by the authors.
At Actors' Summit, "Fully Committed" is not just funny; it's a full meal.
To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: tbrown@plaind.com, 216-999-4181 © 2005 The Plain Dealer. Used with permission.
One-man show is `Fully Committed'

Neil Thackaberry brings 40 characters to life in spry comedy about New York restaurant Kerry Clawson Beacon Journal

Anyone who has had such a hectic day at work that he or she couldn't even squeeze in a bathroom break will be able to relate to the one-man comedy Fully Committed.
The show, playing at Actors' Summit in Hudson, highlights artistic director Neil Thackaberry's acting versatility as he brings 40 characters to life through changes in his voice alone. He plays out-of-work actor Sam Peliczowski, who runs the reservation line for New York's hottest restaurant and has to deal with some of the most outrageous callers imaginable.
These are manipulative, name-dropping, even threatening folks, vying for a prime spot at a restaurant that's ``fully committed'' (i.e. ``booked'') two months in advance.
The bevy of voices heard over the phone or intercom near Sam's jumbled desk include snarky French host Jean-Claude, a vengeful chef, the obnoxiously scratchy-voiced Mrs. Sebag and the ever-persistent Carolann Rosenstein-Fishburn. Thrown into the mix are likable characters such as sunny Bryce, assistant to Naomi Campbell; and serene-sounding restaurant co-worker Stephanie.
With convincing changes in voice, Thackaberry helps us to easily follow who's speaking. When he cocks his head away from the phone, we know that the person on the other end of the line is talking.
Thackaberry uses accents ranging from those that sound Middle Eastern to uppercrust American. Saturday night, he broke out of character only once, when he switched too early from the low-pitched, drawling Jerry back into Sam's higher-pitched voice.
No doubt, this play presents a welcome acting challenge, beyond the wild array of characters that Thackaberry plays. He leaves the stage just once during the 90-minute, intermissionless performance.
These roles call for impeccable memorization, which Thackaberry has down pat. The actor has carefully placed aids on the stage, with little notes to himself on Sam's clipboards that hang on the walls as well as on his desk. This fits in seamlessly, since Sam continuously consults his reservation list and takes names and messages.
Thackaberry, who is in his 50s, is a bit mature for the role of Sam. One would imagine the actor/reservationist who's trying to get a break onstage to be in his 20s or 30s.
But it takes solid acting experience to pull this show off. With Thackaberry's sure pacing, bit by bit, Sam's workday accelerates into a full-blown circus.
There's never a dull moment in this story, as Sam bounces from outside phone to in-house phone to intercom in a desperate attempt to control a growing whirlwind of demands from staff and guests.
As the phones ring and the intercom buzzes, perfectly timed sound cues are crucial. Daughter Sasha Thackaberry, on sound, ensures that Sam's juggling has a natural flow.
Adding to this show's humor, the same characters call Sam repeatedly to torment him.
Not only does Sam have some thoroughly unlikable guests to deal with over the phone, added job duties thrown at him range from ridiculous to downright unsavory.
You'll have to see the show to see what they are.
Playwright Becky Mode offers some comedic gems in this story, including a moment where Naomi Campbell's assistant's assistant wants to come change the restaurant light bulbs. This bit reminds me of best-selling tell-all tales about outrageous treatment of hired help in The Nanny Diaries and The Devil Wears Prada, both also set in New York.
Fully Committed has some fun ironies that reverse Sam's disastrous day, just as we are beginning to think things have spun way too far out of control.
You're likely to leave this show discussing nasty Mrs. Sebag or lying reservation manager Bob as if they're real people. Interestingly, the name of the restaurant is never mentioned. All that we know is that it has a ``global fusion'' menu, including a disgusting entree served on a bed of wild ramps (smelly onions).

Theater critic Kerry Clawson may be reached at 330-996-3527 or by e-mail at kclawson@thebeaconjournal.com.