Back in 2001, Grannie and I saw the revival of the Austin Pendleton play "Uncle Bob" at the SoHo Playhouse in Manhattan. The SoHo Playhouse is a venue for Off-Broadway productions, and is located at 15 Vandam Street. "Uncle Bob" ran from April 23rd through July 1st of 2001 (preview performances began on April 11th). The production originally starred Gale Harold (Josh) and George Morfogen (Bob). But on May 20th, 2001, Gale Harold was replaced by Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Grannie and I saw "Uncle Bob" after the May 20th cast change. So we saw the show during a trip I took to visit Grannie in New York in early summer of 2001.
This production of "Uncle Bob" was produced by the Rebellion Theatre Company, under the direction of Courtney Moorhead. In 1995, a production of the play was produced by the Mint Theatre, also in Manhattan. George Morfogen starred as Bob in that production too. The character of Uncle Bob is a failed (former) prodigy who, at some point, contracted AIDS and "now" lives in a basement flat in Greenwich Village thanks to the charity of a family member (his brother, I think). The only familial connection Bob has left is his nephew Josh, who I think had no choice but to stay with his uncle. The two characters are different but also similar in some ways. By no means does this mean the characters got along. At one point in the play, Josh beats Bob up. Then, near the end of the play, their level of affection goes a bit too far (luckilly that was merely implied to the audience).
At the time, I didn't like this play. I found it to be twisted and upsetting. I even had trouble keeping food down the night after seeing the show. That is a rarity for me. Fortunately, I think Grannie either got the tickets for free or at a major discount through Audience Extras. The acting was great though. I read recently that in a few productions across the country that preceded the one we saw, Austin Pendleton played the part of Uncle Bob. This includes the production of "Uncle Bob" that Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago presented (the Steppenwolf production ran from June 14th through July 16th, 1995 at the venue's studio theatre). I wonder if he ever mouthed the lines to his co star when it was the "nephew's" turn to speak. I'm such a jokester. Anyway, I haven't seen too many off-Broadway shows, and I think seeing "Uncle Bob" is the reason why.
Besides Courtney Moorhead, the production team of "Uncle Bob" included Matt Corsover (scenic designer), Andrew Sendor (scenic designer), Pamela Snider (costume designer), Jason A. Cina (lighting designer), Lee Willet (fight choreographer), and Jason Sutton (stage manager). I am not sure why there were two scenic designers listed for this production. It's possible that one was an associate scenic designer. Or maybe Matt Corsover and Andrew Sendor were codependent and only designed scenery in pairs. Either way, it certainly is a mystery.
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| Joseph Gordon-Levitt and George Morfogen in "Uncle Bob." |
The fight scene in "Uncle Bob" didn't look choreographed. At the same time, it did. Both characters gradually moved out of view, where shouting and thudding could be heard. After the worst of the fight, both characters came back on stage. I guess when I think of choreographed fighting, I think of "West Side Story." There was no leaping or pirouettes in this fight scene. I guess since Bob wasn't throwing any punches himself, it was less of a fight and more of an attack. Thankfully, it was only a play. Then again, sometimes things like that happen--not that physical violence ought to be the answer.
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