Stage Life is a play that is described as “a rousing celebration of lives well-lived in and about the theater.” I can confidently state that rousing is not achieved. Conceived and adapted by Martin Tackel, this piece takes quotes, short stories, letters and reminiscences to attempt to convey the spirit of those who create live theater. Oscar Wilde, Mark Twain, Shelly Winters and Thornton Wilder all make five second appearances. In between there are scenes such as the Class where we watch actors in training. Are you hearing the car as yourself or as a character? The first time it is asked, it’s sort of mildly amusing. After that, it is just tedious.
Six actors play all of the parts here. The most interesting section was The Macbeth Murder Mystery adapted from a James Thurber story. Unfortunately, the evening as a whole is a fairly directionless hodgepodge. More tellingly, the audience was clearly not responding to the material. There is an idea here to celebrate the creative process and the myriad of interesting characters both on-stage and off. I’m not exactly sure who this show is for but it is not me. Stage Life is inside baseball. So far inside that it is hard to see anything at all. A swing and a miss.