By Judy Richter
In her notes for Dragon Theatre’s production of John Guare’s 1976 “Rich and Famous,” director Meredith Hagedorn urges the audience to remember that it’s all a dream.
That’s important to keep in mind because this play falls within the realm of theater of the absurd. Therefore, it’s sometimes difficult to discern what’s happening and why.
The premise is that for the first time, Bing Ringling (Ron Talbot) one of “the world’s oldest living promising young playwrights,” is about to see a production of one of his plays, his 844th. Bing’s dream occurs on the night of its first preview.
His dream has several different characters played by two actors: Lucinda Dobinson, the Woman, as the females; and Tom Gough, the Man, as the males. One of the female characters is Veronica, the producer of Bing’s play. Because she has successfully produced other plays, she wants this one to be a flop so that she can be hailed for a comeback with the next play she produces.
Gough is seen as the lead actor in Bing’s play, but he’s in drag as a hooker. Among other characters, he also portrays Bing’s boyhood friend who has since become a successful movie actor. He and Dobinson team up as Bing’s parents.
The action is interspersed by fine singing by the uncredited Jason Arias, who does double duty as the set designer (simple but effective) and, on opening night, the person dispensing programs. He’s also the company manager.
The two-act play clocks in at just under two hours, with the second act stronger than the first. Still, it’s a weird play that might work better if Gough’s performance weren’t so over the top in his various guises.
Talbot is solid as Bing, while Dobinson is at her best as Bing’s ex-girlfriend in the second act.
Playwright Guare is best known for the widely produced “The House of Blue Leaves” and “Six Degrees of Separation.” Both are stronger and more enjoyable than this one.
San Francisco’s American Conservatory Theater staged a rewrite of “Rich and Famous” in 2009. It was expanded to four actors and named Bing’s play, “The Etruscan Conundrum.” Despite the rewrite and ACT’s best efforts, the play still didn’t work.
Dragon Theatre is in the heart of downtown Redwood City, which has become a bustling place with a wide array of restaurants as well as the nearby multi-screen movie theater, the Fox Theatre, the old county courthouse, and convenient, inexpensive parking.
