REVIEW: The Garbologists (Theatre Alliance)
Garbology? The study of Garbage? (It’s first grade.)
That’s right. And as is mentioned in Lindsay Joelle’s The Garbologists: “You can tell a lot about a person by what they throw away.” But in Theater Alliance’s scrappy new production, the ideas evolve beyond book smarts, coming into direct conflict with the “study” of garbage as a metaphysical ear to the ground.
Book
Joelle’s writing takes clear inspiration from other kinds of workplace comedies: Alliance themselves likens it to Brooklyn Nine-Nine or The Office. The setting for this being a New York Department of Sanitation garbage truck, following a pair of collectors on their first few runs together. Danny is a hardened vet of the trash game, who makes Staten Island his personality via a thick, blathering New York accent. Marlowe is the newbie, somehow joining the ranks of “senior” routes despite having just started. Her background? Two Ivy League degrees and a brownstone in Brooklyn Heights. The lingering question for much of the play is how she ended up in this job, and while they spend the first hour getting to that, we get an encouraging depiction of class divide, which avoids convention via a few twists (i.e. the big union guy prefers tea, but the shy bookworm can’t live without coffee.) The humor of the pairing has its inherent qualities but never seems to make it feel unique. It often gives of CBS-weeknight-sitcom-that-gets-cancelled-after-one-season energy, which I think there’s definitely potential to outgrow. (Hey, it took Parks and Recreation until its second season to find its footing.) But in addition to the shallowness of the buddy comedy, it also loves to try and grasp these huge, dramatic ideas about the family lives and tragic drama of the garbologists. It bites of more than it can chew, sacrificing potentially more engaging conflicts in favor of a child--parent parallel that fails to develop coherently. It hints at some of these juicer topics, though, like the worker’s union and ways that Marlowe’s book smarts assist their efforts, but they are suppressed under the litany of other topics. 4/10
Acting
This two-hander is a sure tale of two performances. On one hand, Chris Genebach’s portrayal of Danny is rough-around-the-edges and down to earth. His control of the accent, down to his mannerisms and gesticulation are a convincing effort that give this big-hearted ruffian more believability. It’s Yesenia Iglesias’ Marlowe whom I found less captivating. The usually-pragmatic performer was not as consistent, from a New York accent that floated in and out to stoicism that was over-corrected in more emotional scenes. But these don’t make it a bad overall performance; they both had a chemistry that worked, and Marlowe was still an empathetic cause that carried the story where it needed to go. 6/10
Production
I continue to be awed at the technical quality that Alliance has managed to pull together in their concrete bunker of a theatre, in the ground floor of a new Wharf-ish development. The star of this production being the garbage truck, sublimely put together on a revolve with scaffolding, crates, and other forms of waste to serve as the ultimate monument to the three R’s. There’s something almost poetic about it: I’ve seen less inspiring sculpture in bigger art venues. Impressive alone for its scale, director/AD Shanara Gabrielle’s use of it to serve as both the vehicle used by the characters and as a backdrop for some of the off-the-clock scenes is excellent. This effect is helped by Alberto Segarra’s scene-setting lighting design and the durable heft of Jeanette Christensen’s costumes. 9/10
Viz
No complaints here. The program is sharp, rugged, and covered in garbage; that tracks. And the imposing, nineteen-ton garbage truck center stage and accompanying trash bags practically jut in to the audience due to the intimacy of the space. 10/10
Verdict
The Garbologists is a fun, if not overly safe, buddy dramedy that coasts on good performances and terrific staging. 29/40
