Teetering on a very thin line between hilarity and a major identity crisis, John McGivern manages to pull off his newest one-man show "Fully Committed," portraying over 30 different characters in the process. "Fully Committed" is playing at the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts' Vogel Hall through September, 2003.
McGivern anchors his identity in the show's main character, Sam, a struggling New York City actor making ends meet by working the reservation phone lines at a very popular and exclusive high-end restaurant.
The moment Sam arrives at work in the morning, in the less-stylish setting of the restaurant's messy basement, he is faced with a stress-inducing amount of incoming phone calls from clientele vying for a table at the fashionable nightspot.
Sam is forced to meet some of the demands for reservations with a "fully committed" response, the more eloquent version of saying "we're booked." Picking up a few tips from his scheming callers, Sam begins to realize the power of his position as the day moves on.
While lunch and dinner rage upstairs, Sam must fix the reservation mistakes of his delinquent coworker, deal with his ego-maniac bully boss and appease the unreasonable (and let's just say nauseating) requests of the wait-staff upstairs -- all while trying to secure a call-back from his latest audition.
"Fully Committed" is written by someone who knows the territory. Becky Mode wrote the play based on her own experiences as a struggling actress trying to pay the bills by working at a four-star restaurant. McGivern also worked as a waiter in a few restaurants.
{INSERT_RELATED}McGivern, going back and forth between Sam and his various encountees, plays some of his characters with such zeal that at times his image seems to disappear and reemerge as the person he is playing. His dedication is consistent whether he's Naomi Campbell's very gay personal assistant "Brice," a demanding New Yorker socialite, a secretary hailing directly from Milwaukee or an elderly woman complaining about her lack of an AARP discount.
The facade of believability only lasts so long though, and a bit of McGivern shines through in all the characters he plays. For some productions, this aspect might hinder the success of a show. But for a one-man play starring John McGivern, it is the very reason the theater was packed full on a Wednesday Night .
Whether its through his wildly successful run of "Shear Madness," during his frequent morning visits with WKLH's Dave and Carol, or as a story-teller instructor at UWM -- Milwaukee can't seem to get enough of McGivern's silly style and Midwestern humor.
You can catch McGivern in his one-man show at Vogel Hall. Performance times are Wednesday - Thursday evenings at 7:30 p.m., Friday evenings at 8 p.m., Saturday matinees at 4 p.m., Saturday evenings at 8:30 p.m., Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. and Sunday evenings at 7 p.m. Ticket prices are $28 - $38. To purchase tickets please contact the Marcus Center Box Office at (414) 273-7206 or toll free (888) 612-3500. Groups of 20 or more can purchase tickets at a discount by calling Group Sales at (414) 273-7121 x210 or (888) 367-8101.
