At this year’s non-Equity Jeff Awards ceremony, held June 3 at Park West, Richard Cotovsky received special recognition for his “cutting edge contributions to Non-Equity Theatre over the past four decades.” He’s spent most of that time as the artistic director of Mary-Arrchie Theatre, acting in and directing productions built according to the classic off-Loop blueprint: gritty, gutsy plays performed by actors with day jobs (Cotovsky is a full-time pharmacist) on a stage not much bigger than a parking space, for an audience that doesn’t far outnumber the cast.
Josh says he’s come to help his uncle in his time of need, but it eventually becomes clear that he’s drawn to Bob for a number of complex reasons, including confusion about his own sexuality (despite his insistence that the idea of gay sex gives him dry heaves) and a fucked-up father-son thing. Their filial bond is masked, however, by constant—and often entertaining—sniping. “Each minute that you’re here makes me happier that I am dying,” Bob says. “And I don’t mean that as an insult.”
Rudy Galvan fares better as Josh. His arc is even more incoherent than Bob’s, but Galvan manages to plant hints of loneliness, vulnerability, and genuine feeling beneath a surface that’s all scowl.
Through 7/21: Thu-Sat 8 PM, Sun 7 PM Angel Island
735 W. Sheridan
773-871-0442
maryarrchie.com
$15-$25
