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Precisely what—or who—is the mysterious Unknown at the heart of David Cale’s mind-scrambling solo work, now making its world premiere in a riveting production at Studio Seaview?
Multiple meanings present themselves. That titular "unknown" refers most obviously to the narrative mystery that drives Cale’s spooky thriller, here staged by Leigh Silverman (Suffs, Yellow Face) and led by multi-hyphenate Sean Hayes, returning to the stage following his Tony Award win for Good Night, Oscar in 2023. The title also refers to the “unknown” actor who is stalking Elliott, our storyteller, for reasons unclear.
But the true “unknown” at the heart of Cale’s melancholy work is Elliott himself, a detached and near-dissociated writer played with notable restraint by Hayes—-a performer often prone to hamminess.
The Unknown begins as luxurious red curtains part to reveal Elliott, a gay man in his late 40s, who shares that he is suffering from writer’s block. After setting aside an unproduced musical years earlier, he has been stuck. Unable to start a new project, whether novel, play or screenplay (he does them all), Elliott retreats to his friend Larry’s country home upstate. But it is there, late at night, that yearning lyrics from that musical come floating in through the windows, seeming to whisper from the woods:
I wish you’d wanted me
How different life would be
I’d love you endlessly
If you had wanted me
That mournful verse emanates from all sides of the Seaview space, murmuring into our ear in Caroline Eng’s perfectly unnerving sound design. Ghostly lighting by Cha See envelops Hayes in darkness, with only a sliver of light striking through the black.
The song will follow Elliott back to New York, where events only grow stranger. Clearly, an actor rejected from a workshop of the musical (an “unknown,” not of significance) is the culprit. But the stultified Elliott is more intrigued than frightened, and soon seeks out his stalker, excited by the potential for new material.
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To say more would be spoiling the fun. Suffice to say, Cale expertly keeps up the tension, aided by Silverman’s carefully controlled direction. The playwright does allow himself the occasional sojourn—reflections on historic gay New York, particularly the legendary bar Julius, never find a totally clear connection with our story. But they do help in adding some atmosphere, a bit of mise-en-scène.
Yet for all the details Elliot provides in unfolding his tale, he offers few about himself. The reasons behind that sketchiness do not become fully clear until the play's end. But Elliott’s enigmaticness ties into a moving central theme, one Cale also explored so beautifully in his previous solo work Blue Cowboy: the tragedy of half-existence, of a person struggling to live as their whole self—unsure, perhaps, of what that whole self would even look like. A walking unknown.
Cale performed Blue Cowboy himself at The Bushwick Starr last fall, movingly so. The Unknown is written with a strikingly similar affect, or lilt, and one wonders if Cale intended to portray Elliott as well. But Hayes is wholly persuasive, shifting between an array of supporting characters with lightness and ease. And he is steadfastly steely as Elliott, allowing only glimpses behind the carefully cultivated demeanor of a man who can only exist through stories, never as himself.
Cale’s text ultimately folds in on itself, in a smart if not altogether satisfying coup de théâtre. If the piece is not as emotionally devastating as Blue Cowboy, it still lingers, unnervingly. That unknown voice whispers, softly, of another self lurking the darkness.
The Unknown is now in performance at Studio Seaview. For tickets and more information, visit here.
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Today, in an Exclusive to Theatrely, TheatreWorksUSA and David Treatman Creative, in partnership with Animaj, announced the release of the official cast recording of The Pout-Pout Fish, the acclaimed musical adaptation of Deborah Diesen and Dan Hanna’s bestselling children’s book series. The album preserves the vibrant, emotionally resonant score from the stage production currently touring nationwide.
The recording features a bevy of Broadway talent including Talia Suskauer, Bonnie Milligan, Cathy Ang, George Salazar, Olivia Perez, Joel Waggoner, Amanda Lopez, Aury Krebs, and David Rowen.
Featuring music and lyrics by Christopher Anselmo and Jared Corak, and a book by Christopher Anselmo, Jared Corak, Matt Acheson, and Fergus J. Walsh, the musical brings to life one of today’s most successful illustrated children’s franchises. With more than 30 volumes published by Macmillan and over 3.5 million copies sold, The Pout-Pout Fish has become a defining property for a new generation — often described as this era’s Curious George.
The original stage production debuted at The New Victory Theater in 2019, co-conceived, directed, and designed by the acclaimed puppeteers of AchesonWalsh Studios, whose work has been featured in Broadway’s The King and I, On the Town, and Radio City’s New York Spectacular. The musical is currently touring nationwide through TheatreWorksUSA.
David Treatman Creative executive produced the album, with David Treatman, Conor Keelan, Christopher Anselmo, and Jared Corak serving as producers. Keelan served as orchestrator and arrangements are by Jon Bauerfield. Denise Barbarita was the engineer and mixer, and mastering was done by Alan Silverman (Aerial Sound.)
Listen to the album here on all platforms: https://lnk.to/thepoutpoutfish
We’ve all been there: it’s a cold New York City day, and you’re standing outside, bundled up, cheering at the top of your lunges every time a little door opens, waiting to see if your favorite star has a moment to say hello. You’re talking with the people next to you — from all corners of the world — about this love you share for the show. It’s the magic of the stage door, and it’s just gone digital.
Stage Door Pass is a new software that allows Broadway fans to track the shows they see with immense detail (down to what swings and understudies they saw), leave their thoughts, connect with other fans, and interact with their favorite artists. It’s all your favorite parts of the stage door without having to brave the elements after a show.
“I'm a big Letterboxd fan, and so it's essentially a Letterboxd, but for live theater,” founder Jeff Whiting told Theatrely in an interview.
Whiting is a director-choreographer and theatre entrepreneur who runs Open Jar Studios. Whiting is often looking for “digital solutions to little industry gaps,” as he put it.
He founded Stage Write Software — a platform where directors and choreographers can track blocking and technical elements — about 14 years ago. He later added the Stage Door Network, where industry professionals can post job opportunities and network. Stage Door Pass is the latest addition to his network, and his first fan-facing platform.
The idea came about when Whiting’s business partner, Mike Wheeler, stopped by one of Open Jar Studios’ weekly Friday afternoon tours. When he got home, Wheeler sent Whiting an email with the idea for a granular way to track the shows he saw digitally, and allow audiences to connect with their favorite stars.
For Whiting, the idea also presented an opportunity to give artists a new way to engage with fans.
“Having done a lot of Broadway shows myself, I just know there's always discussion about what happens at the stage door, the real stage door when you're leaving the theater,” Whiting said. “Do the artists have an obligation to their fans? Do the fans have the expectation? And so there's been a lot of discussion around how you want to thank your fans, but I've always been very aware of that challenge. In doing this, I thought, ‘well, this is an opportunity for the artists who are aware of and of course are grateful for their fans but allows them to kind of manage the way that they engage.’”
Through the app, fans can share their opinions on the shows they see, earn badges as they continue to share, and artists can engage with them through the platform. It’s a way to share mutual appreciation for the work. Each time a fan logs a show, they get a souvenir video created by the production that is easily shareable to social media, as well. The system is easily flexible for both iPhone and Android devices.
“Word of mouth is so key,” Whiting said. “Any artists, particularly the young artists who are coming, fans of shows, who come and wanna share with their friends, their thoughts about the show, we're trying to make these tools super easy for them to be able to share these stories with their fans and followers.”
To learn more about Stage Door Pass, visit here.
