CurtainUp
CurtainUp
The Internet Theater Magazine of Reviews, Features, Annotated Listings
HOME PAGE

SITE GUIDE

SEARCH


REVIEWS

REVIEW ARCHIVES

ADVERTISING AT CURTAINUP

FEATURES

NEWS
Etcetera and
Short Term Listings


LISTINGS
Broadway
Off-Broadway

NYC Restaurants

BOOKS and CDs

OTHER PLACES
Berkshires
London
California
New Jersey
DC
Philadelphia
Elsewhere

QUOTES

TKTS

PLAYWRIGHTS' ALBUMS

LETTERS TO EDITOR

FILM

LINKS

MISCELLANEOUS
Free Updates
Masthead
A CurtainUp Review
Steve & Idi


Actors are hookers who are paid to talk.—-Max
Steve and Idi
Evan Parke as Idi and playwright/actor David Grimm as Steve (Photo: Sandra Coudert)
I wish the ghost of Idi Amin would counsel me through my existential crises. In David Grimm’s new play, Steve & Idi, he pulls playwright Steve out of a potentially career-ending slump. Idi’s obvious character flaws aside, he actually makes a great motivational force.

The title character Steve hasn’t written anything worthwhile for several years. When his lover dumps him, he heads deep into a suicidal depression, unresponsive even to his closest friends. At his low point, the ghost of Idi Amin, the savage former dictator of Uganda, appears to him and Steve has three days to write a play about Idi’s life, or Idi will kill him. As an added incentive, Idi will stick around to make sure the writing progresses.

As Steve struggles to deal with this smelly, rude, and incredibly morally offensive guest, his life falls apart around him. His agent fires him, his friends become convinced he’s a delusional schizophrenic, and he succumbs (more than once) to anonymous sex with a young and annoying hustler. But Idi gets him writing, which in the end will save his life.

Is Idi a ghost, some sort of twisted guardian angel? Or is he a product of Steve’s deranged mind? The question is better left unanswered, but the ending seems to take a side.

It’s not often the playwright plays the lead as David Grimm (Measure for Pleasure, Kit Marlowe) does. While not the world’s greatest actor, he provides a meaty foil for his play’s centerpiece— Idi Amin, played by Evan Parke. Amin is such a larger-than-life figure that he’s bound to be a stage dominating scene stealer. Parke does so in spades. He’ is at all times the big, blustery center of attention, and at times I was convinced Steve & Idi was written to showcase him.

Grimm is a talented writer and actor, and this new play is quite funny, but it's Parke's performance that makes it so worth seeing. Forest Whitaker’s performance as Idi Amin in the critically acclaimed movie The Last King of Scotland showed Amin’s slow descent into madness by way of manipulation, paranoia and braggadocio; but Parke’s portrayal displays s charisma, an impish sense of humor and a rare glimpse of his human side. Not an easy feat given that his regime was one of the bloodiest of the twentieth century, with anywhere from 100,000 to 500,000 people killed. Yet Parke doesn’t play him as a raving monster, demonstating that moral ambiguity can sometimes be more disturbing than any moral absolute.

The ensemble manages to balance the farcical and existential elements of the show, making it thought-provoking as well as amusing. While the play is immensely entertaining, it is not exactly intellectually rigorous and does have a tendency to go for the cheap laughs, especially when poking fun at the theater industry. But Grimm demonstrates that he is both a versatile and droll writer.

Kris Stone’s beautiful set and Eleanor Holdridge’s tight direction keep the action grounded in reality. Steve & Idi is the first play of Rattlestick’s reading series to receive a full production. Hopefully, it will not be the last.

Steve & Idi
Written by David Grimm
Directed by Eleanor Holdridge
With Michael Busillo (Brad), David Grimm (Steve), Greg Keller (Ralph), Zachary Knower (Max) and Evan Parke (Idi Amin)
Scenic Design: Kris Stone
Costume Design: Jessica Ford
Lighting Design: Les Dickert
Sound Design: Scott Killian
Running Time: Two hours, with one ten-minute intermission
Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, 224 Waverly Place (at 7th Avenue South); 212-868-4444
Tuesday through Saturday at 8 pm, Sunday at 3 pm
Tickets $40
from 4/23/08; opening 5/04/08; closing 5/24/08
Reviewed by Jenny Sandman based on May 1st performance
REVIEW FEEDBACK
Highlight one of the responses below and click "copy" or"CTRL+C"
  • Highlight one of the responses below and click "copy" or"CTRL+C"
    • I agree with the review of Steve & Idi
    • I disagree with the review of Steve & Idi
    • The review made me eager to see Steve & Idi
    Click on the address link E-mail: esommer@curtainup.com
    Paste the highlighted text into the subject line (CTRL+ V):

    Feel free to add detailed comments in the body of the email.



Try onlineseats.com for great seats to
Wicked
Jersey Boys
The Little Mermaid
Lion King
Shrek The Musical


Leonard Maltin's Classic Movie Guide
Leonard Maltin's 2008 Movie Guide


Playbillyearbook
Playbill 2007-08 Yearbook


broadwaynewyork.com


amazon




©Copyright 2008,

GUCCI

|

Aluminium Chronograph

|

PEAK new fashion ladies venting air spring heighten casual sport shoes P8004E

|

Tiffany & Co Hook and Eye Ring

|

mbt shoes

|

MBT Shoes

|

Tiffany&Co Daisy 925 sterling silver rings

|

Rolex

|

Louis Vuitton

|

Affliction Boots

|

Nike Shoes

|

Nike Dunk

|

MP5 Wholesale

|

Atlanta Falcons

|

Abercrombie Pants Wholesale 002

|

Louis Vuitton

|

UGG Boots Mulberry Genuine Australia classic Tall Ugg Boots

|

GUCCI Handbags

|

UGG Boots Classic Argyle Knit Chocolate 5879

|

Louis Vuitton Business Card Holder Ebony

|

MBT Men's Kisumu Tan Sandals

|

MBT Chapa

|

ugg boots

|

MBT Kisumu 2 White Men's Sandals

|

Nike Shoes

|

Louis Vuitton Monogram Denim Messenger Bag PM m95865

|

Bailey Button Uggs

|

Sexy Costume QS0169

|

Phone Wholesale

|

Bikinis Sets

|

Wholesale

|

Car DVD Player

|

LV

|

Tourbillon

|

Tiffany tiffany replica ring

|

Superleggera J12 White

|

Tiffany

|

rolex

|

Mouse Wholesale

|

Nike Air Max 2003

|

Monogram Groom

|

GUCCI

|

Wholesale

|

Nike Air Max LTD (dark blue/white) No.372340

Elyse Sommer.
Information from this site may not be reproduced in print or online without specific permission from esommer@curtainup.com