The Student Theater at Agganis Arena is difficult to find. The door is tucked away in a small nook, cozily situated in the passageway between Agganis Arena and the Boston University Fitness and Recreation Center. This coziness, however, is perfect for “Play It Again, Sam,” a play that lent itself well to resonating with the small, intimate audience.
The theater, which hosted the Stage Troupe show Thursday through Saturday night, was dimly lit with soft, yellow lighting, reminiscent of the time period in which the play is set. Soft music played through the speakers as well, setting the stage for the opening scenes of the 1969 Woody Allen production.
“Play it Again, Sam” is centered on the main character of Allan Felix (Jordan DeFilippo), a slightly neurotic film critic desperate for love after his wife abruptly leaves him. DeFilippo, a freshman in the College of Communication, is a perfect fit for the role — he has a hilariously fidgety manner that showcases the hopelessly awkward inner workings of Allan’s mind and paints an ideal picture of the character based off of Woody Allen himself.
Additionally, his self-deprecating humor gives the show life, continually engaging the audience and keeping the rather serious topic of the play light enough to enjoy in a casual setting.
Allan also interacts with audience members, sometimes directly addressing them, which further adds to the relationship between the audience and his character. This intimacy allows for an even deeper connection with and sympathy for Allan, leading the audience to root for him as he continues to strike out with women. DeFilippo shines as the absolute star of the play.
The supporting characters, particularly Dick Christie (Kyle Mitchell, a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences) and Linda Christie (Becca DeGregorio, a junior in COM), offset DeFilippo’s Allan. Dick and Linda, worried about Allan’s mental well-being after his wife Nancy leaves him, attempt to cheer Allan up by setting him up with various women to help reintroduce him to the world of dating.
Both provide excellent context for DeFilippo and set him up for some darker humor, which is a central component of his character. Linda particularly excels as Allan’s close friend and eventual love interest — she is the calm yin to Allan’s anxious yang, soothing him and providing a less intense counterpart to balance out his fast-talking monologues.
These monologues are a highlight of the play. Without the other characters onstage to detract from his persona or interrupt his anxious trains of thought, Allan launches into minutes-long, self-deprecating and hilarious rampages about his hopeless and miserable love life. Peppered with sly, dark humor, the monologues have the audiences falling out of their seats laughing.
As the plot continues and more characters enter the mix, these scenes slowly diminish. Unfortunately, the quality of the play goes with it. Although it remains fun and interesting, without the focus on Allan’s quirky personality, the play is reduced to nothing more than a typical romantic comedy about getting the girl you can’t have.
The interruptions of Allan’s idol, Humphrey Bogart, are initially confusing and feel somewhat out of place to an audience member unfamiliar with the story. Although Humphrey (Jimmy Bie) provides comic relief, his random appearances have little context and can easily confuse, especially given the fact that it’s sometimes difficult to differentiate between reality and Allan’s dream world.
Regardless, Bie, a freshman in COM, puts on an excellent Bogart, from his wise yet womanizing advice to his spot-on accent, and he easily fills the shoes of the famous actor. These humorous scenes provide a deeper look into Allan’s mind.
The dream scenes often feature Allan’s ex-wife, Nancy, as well. Nancy (Lucy Gamades, a sophomore in COM) is a loud, brash woman who left Allan in hopes of a more exciting life. She interacts with Bogart well in the dreams, teasing Allan about his failed attempts to woo women. They bicker and create hilarious comedic interludes to break up Allan’s mounting stress about his catastrophe of a love life.
Once the audience has learned to recognize the difference between reality and Allan’s daydreams, the confusion is instantly ameliorated and the scenes add layers of humor to the play despite not being essential to the plot.
“Play It Again, Sam,” although set in the 1960s, feels fresh and new with this amazing group of actors, each of whom provides a different type of humor. Even when the mood shifts from light to serious, the actors remain funny and relatable, realistically navigating the difficult situations they repeatedly find themselves in.
Allan and Linda’s romance is irresistible. As they fall for each other, the audience falls right along with them. The underlying current of the production, however, is unmistakably its humor, which helps save it from becoming too dark or sappy when Allan and Linda are entrenched in their affair.
The quiet, sarcastic humor showcased throughout makes “Play It Again, Sam” an incredibly well-done romantic comedy. “Play It Again, Sam” deserves to be played again.
Oh my gosh – this article is so well written!!!!!! WOW!!
This is a wonderful review – very insightful, not afraid to point out minor weaknesses in an otherwise very fine and successful production, and extremely well written. The author of the review has a nuanced prose style perfectly suited to her nuanced appreciation of the play.