Reception, written and performed by James Harrison Monaco, presented by soloNova Arts Festival, is a testament to the one-man show.
Reception is a third person narrative that takes place at a wedding reception at a mansion on Long Island. Ironically, it’s not told through the perspective of the bride and groom, but rather from the multiple perspectives of their guests who have come together to partake in the festivities.
While it features an array of colorful characters, the play mainly revolves around three men in differing stages of their lives; Rick, a 75-year-old grandfather coming to grips with his age, his 28-year-old nephew Gary, who is afflicted by some unknown inner turmoil and Rick’s 10-year old grandson Martin, who recalls the evenings events late at night from their bathroom as he is unable to sleep.
But even during a wedding, which signifies hope and new beginnings, the characters are very much afflicted by the past. For Rick, that turmoil is the death of his son, Martin’s father, who committed suicide three years prior (though the reasons behind it are never known to the audience). Gary’s turmoil is obvious to others, whom all note the tightness of his smile. And then there’s young Martin, who gravitates between awe and embarrassment at his grandfather’s attention-grabbing conduct.
The setting of Reception is supposed to take place in a gaudy wedding hall, the stage is quite sparse; consisting of a folding metal chair with a place card holder bearing the show’s title and a glass of water, with Monaco donning a simple gray suit that is fitting for the occasion.
While Monaco spends most of the play seated in the chair, he uses his entire body as a soundtrack to illustrate the portrait of this family gathering. From facial expressions, vocal range, and the rhythmic tapping of his hands and feet, this self-described “amateur drummer with some training,†demonstrates that when one has a well-developed story, props can often be a superficial veneer that are not as necessary as we think.
Credit also goes to director Rachel Chavkin, whose coordination and excellent use of lighting helped convey the sentiments of each scene, gracefully transporting us between emotions, locations, and flashbacks that are woven together like a tapestry.
Reception conveys the intricacies of family dynamics, and even when joyous occasions bring people together, there are unspoken sorrows not to be discussed and realizations that are hard to ignore. Probably the most poignant scene was the Rick’s comes face to face with his own mortality. He no longer knows that latest dance moves, is getting to old to perform them without pain medication nearby, and is no longer the ladies man he presumed himself to be. Much like his son, he will be a ghost whose memory haunts relatives old enough to remember him come the next family gathering.
The show can be disjointing and frenzied at moments; but the fact that Monaco manages to keep the viewer’s attention for a full 90 minutes demonstrates that the 24-year-old performer has untapped potential as well as a mastery of his craft.
By the end of the show, there is an unquenched desire to know more about guests of Reception.
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