The Simpler, the Greater

The greatest things in life are simple things. “Made for Each Other,” a “drama with comedy” by Monica Bauer, a part of the 2nd Annual Planet Connections Theatre Festivity, performed at Robert Moss Theatre at 440 Lafayette Street on June 13-27, seems quite simple with four characters one actor. Plain at first sight, the play is, however, deep in thought. It explores homosexuality, Alzheimer’s disease and such eternal themes as self-concept and memory through characters’ monologues and the use of symbols.

All in all, it ends up great.

The first character we meet at the stage is Vincent, a man in his 50s, who knows that his body has lost its attractiveness and is uncomfortable. Suddenly, he meets a man, Jerry, who loves him the way he is and proposes to him. Even though Vincent is crazy about Jerry, he keeps wondering whether the third date is too soon to make such an important decision.

There is another thing that bothers Vincent as well. His mother suffers from Alzheimer’s and he is afraid that he will inherit this terrible disease. The idea that Jerry, who, by the way, is a male nurse, will have to take care of him until the end of his life makes Vincent miserable.

While Vincent is indecisive, emotional and soft and lacks confidence, Jerry is his opposite. He is sure that Vincent is the man he wants to spend the rest of his life with and therefore, he does not hesitate to propose. Jerry says, referring to the guys he dated before, that he “wanted to make them happy,” while Vincent is the one who wants to make him happy without asking for anything in return. This seems to be the formula for true love, for two people “made for each other.”

Jerry’s character is also explored through his grandfather, Damiano, who died and now lives in his brain. According to Bauer, dead people go neither to hell nor to heaven. Our loved ones who passed away are alive as long as we remember them. They take a place inside our brains; they know everything that is going on with us and they care about how we feel. The audience learns that the old man regrets that his grandson stopped doing what he loved being a child, which was acting and singing, and dislikes that he smokes. Damiano approves of Vincent, as he notices that after Jerry met his “second half,” he decided to quit smoking and to come back to acting classes.

Likewise, Vincent’s character is seen through his mother, who is not dead yet, but she also lives in his brain. Vincent remembers her as an actress who never made it too far, who got married several times, who “used to be a pistol,” but now lives like a plant.

As different as they all are, these characters require a lot of creativity and talent when it is a one man show. John Fico, who performed at the Flea Theater, York Theatre, Mazer Theatre and many others, plays his roles brilliantly. Transforming to a new character by means of changing a couple of pieces of clothing, Fico quickly becomes a new person.

Here is his first role: Vincent, who is wearing a suit, a piece of formal clothing that does not give him any additional confidence. Very romantic and sensitive, he cries a lot and uses gestures, wiping his glasses from time to time and calls himself “a faggot over 50.”

In a second, the jacket and glasses go off and Vincent becomes Jerry, a male nurse who consults a doctor helping him to quit smoking. He speaks confidently and passionately. He knows who he is and he is very comfortable with it. Being a male nurse, he is also protective and he understands Vincent’s fear of Alzheimer’s and is ready to be there for the man he loves.

It takes only a sweater, old-fashioned glasses, a cane and a truthfully Italian accent that we can often hear in Bensonhurst, for Jerry to become Damiano. The old man keeps coughing and spitting into his handkerchief, as even his death did not free him of his illness. Damiano is a good-humored, energetic man, who passed to a better world laughing, a strong mind in a fragile body dressed in a baggy old woolen sweater. He is the audience’s favorite character, making them laugh every minute.

And finally, sexy sunglasses and a long fetching scarf turn Fico into Vincent’s mother. Viewers can clearly see that she indeed was a sex pistol when she licks a little Christmas cane unequivocally. Surprisingly enough, the two older characters show more energy than the two younger ones, maybe because energy is the only life they have in their close people’s brains.

And last, but not least, Bauer brings in homosexuality. On the one hand there is Jerry, who is not ashamed of being a homosexual and a male nurse, and there is Damiano, who supports his “little fairy grandson” and says that “gay” actually means “merry.” On the other hand, there is Vincent, who has been dating men for all his life, but does not feel OK with who he is and the rest of the world made of people like Jerry’s dad, who gave his son that look Damiano calls “I know who you are” when Jerry would run around singing.

The play also touches the problem of gay marriage. To make their relationship formal, Vincent and Jerry have to travel to Connecticut. In addition to the responsibility of making such a crucial decision, connecting one’s life to another person, they have to overcome other obstacles. At least, it is somehow possible, compared to what the situation used to be. Vincent and Jerry’s wedding is extremely timely considering the current discussion about whether or not homosexual marriages should be permitted by law.

Filled up with contemporary and eternal themes, the play is entertaining for an hour you are watching it. However, once you get out of the theater, give it a day or two to think about the characters and their actions and then you will understand why Vincent did what he did at the end of the play.

If you do not bother going deep into it, though, leave it simple. Do not forget that the simpler it is, the greater it will be in the future.