The Twentieth Century Way

My girlfriend (mi novia) took me to a play called The Twentieth Century Way last night. It was amazing. The cast is only two actors, the production design is minimal and the set is a stage. The characters are actors waiting for a movie audition. The play takes the form of an improvisational story line that the actors create as a form of competition while they wait. The story is a true story about the criminalization of homosexual activity and the use of actors by the Long Beach police department to entrap the men engaged in those activities. The scenes are done by the two actors as they slip from character to character to make the scene work.

The play was filled with a lot of meta thinking about acting and the nature of the craft. The way in which the actors create each character and the depth of each characterization makes it quite a performance. I highly recommend it and will probably be going again sometime. After the performance last night, the actors, writer, and director stuck around to answer questions. I was so overwhelmed by the play and the performances that I couldn't come up with any questions. I think I need another viewing to get it all in my head.

Some caveats: Because of the setting of the improvisation that the actors are creating, there is some sexual tension between the two male actors. Homosexuality is one of the primary themes of the play. The play ends with both men nude. The play runs 90 minutes with no intermission.

I recommend it highly.