The difficulties of the human condition and human relationships are the themes of this week’s Pocket Playhouse production, “The Woolgatherer.”
The play written by William Mastrosimone contains only two characters, both of whom are alone and looking for someone to open up to. But at the same time, neither seems prepared to do it alone. The question becomes whether these two people can get past their own problems and help each other.
In the play, Cliff, played by Curtis Williams, is a trucker whose truck has broken down in Philadelphia. Knowing that he will be in town only a few days, he tries his luck with Rose (Windy Borman), the clerk at the local five-and-dime store.
Rose also sees something in Cliff, but wants something much more romantic than what Cliff has in mind. Director Alexander Pawlowski plays with this contrast and its consequences to create conflict and drama in the play.
“Rose is a hopeless romantic and a dreamer,” Pawlowski said, “and Cliff is this callous guy who Rose is trying to find the sweetness in.”
That sweetness is hidden deep beneath a facade of male ego and crass humor.
“Cliff has spent a lot of time on the road and alone, so he has learned to entertain himself,” Williams said. “He thinks he’s quite funny.”
That makes one of them. Rose is more sensitive and rarely in a joking mood.
“She has a lot of emotional baggage that ties her down,” Borman said.
Making a drama with only two actors is a difficult process for the performers. The success or failure of the show lies in the characters’ interactions. It is fair to worry, when dealing with a drama such as this, that the characters might be too extreme for the audience to relate to. But for his part, Williams is certain that Cliff is more than two-dimensional.
“I think that I’ve met Cliff; a lot of people have,” he said. “But the people that know Cliff probably only know his joking side.”
Borman carries the heavier responsibility by playing a character with serious emotional problems. She said that while such a character is easier to see as a caricature, all of the small elements that compose her persona could be found spread out amongst many people.
Pawlowski hopes that the common experience everyone shares with one-on-one relationships will be enough to carry the show.
“Think of all the time you have spent in your life being with just one other person and think of how important every word and action was,” he said. “The ability of humans to relate on a one-to-one basis creates amazing situations.”
In the end, each character is looking for some small, honest connection with another person. Their relationship does seem to be something special, but its destination remains uncertain. Pawlowski doesn’t attempt to answer any questions with this play — he wants the audience members to leave questioning themselves.
“This play will make audiences think about opportunities that may have been missed, and it also might make them look at the next guy/girl who offers to buy them a drink a little different,” he said.
“The Woolgatherer” runs today, Friday and Saturday at 5 p.m. in the Pocket Playhouse in Villard Hall. A $1 donation is suggested.