Blown Sideways Through Life

Blown Sideways Through Life

Zachary Scott Theatre Center Whisenhunt Arena Stage, through March 6

Running Time: 1 hr, 55 min

Who among us hasn't felt this way: that you have no control over your life? That you're constantly buffeted by the demands of people who don't know you, don't care to know you, don't care about you, and probably wouldn't care even if they did know you? While it's easy to say you don't choose your job, your job chooses you, who exactly wants to feel like they're blowing through life without any choice?

This latest production from the Zachary Scott Theatre Center is actress Claudia Shear's autobiographical journey through the workplace. Shear grew up in Brooklyn and managed to get through high school without acquiring any marketable skills, unless hanging with the boys and reading books can be considered marketable skills, so she had to grab whatever she could find. Among her 65 jobs, she worked as a cook, a waitress, a "phone person," a proofreader, and, most notably (and hilariously), a whorehouse receptionist. She was hired, she was fired (or quit), but through it all her energy and drive to work, to function, to make good, to keep going, is more than evident – it's palpable. Every time she loses a job, it's right on to the next one, with few regrets, few complaints, and a positive attitude and energy that is enviable.

Embodying Shear's journey is Barbara Chisholm. In one sense, she doesn't play Shear. Whenever Chisholm refers to herself in the course of the play, she's Barbara. But Chisholm adopts a very acceptable Brooklyn accent, as well as a load of other accents for the load of other characters she plays. Tour de force is an absolutely accurate description of what Chisholm does here. Most people are deathly afraid of speaking in public, but Chisholm holds the stage, and our attention, for almost two hours, and her energy and commitment to Shear's story never wanes.

Director Dave Steakley and his crew of designers have not just ably assisted Chisholm; they've provided her with another character, although not in the usual sense of the word. Throughout, songs and sounds provided by Craig Brock and lights provided by Brian S. Davis set the place, time, and mood, and accompany and sometimes lead Chisholm through the play. Rarely have I seen a show in which the technical aspects so ably accompanied an actor, and credit must go to Ernestina Martinez, the stage manager responsible for seeing that all those cues run so smoothly and appropriately.

My only complaint: I wish it had been longer. Steakley has Chisholm consistently push the tempo, and that's a good thing, but on more than a few occasions things feel rushed. While the show's title implies quickness, often a new story begins so fast that it takes a moment to adjust, and we're already right in the middle of it. Still, throughout, Chisholm's very human vulnerability shines. While we may not be able to choose our jobs, we can choose to treat people decently, with compassion and understanding. And really, that's the only job of much importance.