It has been almost two years since actors at Arizona Theatre Company strutted across the Temple of Music and Art stage and gave us thrills, sometimes groans and often joy.
The pandemic made it feel like maybe we could survive without live theater.
“My 80-Year-Old Boyfriend,” ATC’s season opener, proves that we can’t.
And it’s all about what we’ve been hungry for: connection.
The play-with-music was conceived by and stars the immensely talented Charissa Bertels.
The somewhat autobiographical piece is based on the unlikely friendship she developed with an 80-year-old man, Milton. A struggling actress in New York City, Bertels is selling juice to make ends meet when Milton comes by and lingers to chat. Eventually he asks her to visit him at his apartment.
Naturally, she’s on the edge of being creeped out. But there is something about Milton — his humor, his intellectual curiosity, his poker game — something that draws her in.
The play follows the good and bad in their friendship as Bartels’ career builds. In the first song, she sings in her lush soprano, “I am all I need.”
What is slowly revealed to the audience is that that is not true. She — we all — need the power of connection and the courage to be vulnerable enough to admit we need much more than just ourselves.
This is never done in a didactic way. No, “Boyfriend” is very funny, very relatable. You are pulled in by Christian Duhamel’s book and lyrics and Edward Bell’s music; they illuminate the story and, at times, move you to tears.
But what makes this play so compelling is Bartels. She knows how to tell a story while she wraps her arms around you and draws you in. When she talks about playing Bilbo in her fifth-grade version of “The Hobbit,” we are there. When she can’t contain her enthusiasm after getting a part, we are excited with her. And when she anguishes over an argument with Milton or an absent father, we suffer with her.
What makes this even more astounding is that Bartels (beautifully accompanied by pianist Jose C. Simbulan) is the lone actor on the stage. She plays about 10 characters, most notably herself and Milton. A slight hunch of the shoulders, a gravelly voice, and voilà, she is Milton. In one remarkable number, she and Milton sing a duet, ”Together With You.” It’s funny and amazing and underscores Bartels’ deep commitment to the characters and the story.
She almost never leaves the stage, and costume changes are simple and done in front of us or behind one of the four monolithic light boxes on stage. Lights seamlessly change colors, subtly indicating a difference in place or mood or character. Scenic designer Neil Patel created a simple, functional set and made it look elegant and expansive. Brian J. Lilienthal’s impactful lighting design is just gorgeous.
One-person shows can get tedious, but director Sean Daniels sees to it that that never happens. Our eyes, minds and hearts are always engaged.
After it closes in Arizona “My 80-Year-Old Boyfriend” heads for an off-Broadway run. That gives ATC some bragging rights, but most of us don’t care about that. We care that the company has not abandoned us and brought us an out-of-the-pandemic play that reminds us of how life-affirming and important theater is.
