The School of Theatre and Dance began its 2007-2008 season Thursday with the fabulously absurd corporate satire, Below the Belt.
The play is an entertaining look at the corporate world and passes on the message that the pressures of a corporate Job can drive a person crazy; this environment is not for the "nice guy" or the morally correct.
Two checkers, Hanrahan (John Phillips) and Dobbitt (Caleb George) are trapped in a prison-like industrial compound where they succumb to the pressure of making it to the top.
Hanrahan is a boisterous character with a rough exterior who does not take kindly to Dobbitt at the beginning of the play. Dobbitt is the "nice guy" who believes honesty is key, yet wants to please everyone, especially his new boss Merkin (Chris Kennedy), an aggressive and conniving supervisor also trying to climb the corporate ladder. Despite what seems to be a rat race, each of the characters long for friendship, though they never really get it.
The characters of this play aim so high yet stoop so low to fulfill their desires. Laughter and compassion go together while watching this production.
"It’s funny, but whenever you look at it and you’re laughing at it, you realize it’s really sad," Kennedy said.
The actors drew inspiration for their characters from the movies Brasil and Office Space. Below the Belt is also comparable to David Mamet’s Glengarry Glen Ross because it’s about men who have become consumed by the lies and deceit portrayed as the sustenance of the corporate world. It’s similar to Office Space because it’s undeniably hilarious.
In one of the best scenes, the ongoing joke that Merkin makes about Hanrahan’s dancing is finally justified. Hanrahan turns on some soft music and extends his hand to Dobbitt, signaling him to dance. They dance together for a minute and Dobbitt compliments Hanrahan on his skills.
The actors handle the characters’ quick dialogue well, and thanks to that ability, Dobbitt and Hanrahan have a number of amusing scenes together.
"The language… goes back and forth like a tennis match," George said.
When the three employees throw their own private party in Merkin’s office (the other employees of the company do not seem to care for the work checkers, so they boycott the company party), another humorous scene follows. They wear cone-shaped party hats, have snacks and tell outrageous stories about their wives. They laugh and enjoy themselves until Merkin receives a phone call that the river right outside the office is on fire because of the numerous chemicals swimming in it. Faced with this dilemma, he wonders whether to show leadership or simply conclude that there is nothing he can do.
Carolyn Houston Boone did a wonderful job directing this production. On why she chose this play, she said, "I just think that it’s current, it’s about corporate life; it’s a very interesting little play."
While all aspects of the play were well done, the character who really stood out was Hanrahan. He had such an amusing personality and made even the most serious statements funny. He aggressively attempts to make his way to the top, even if it means doing something as trivial as pushing Dobbitt out of the way so that he can get to Merkin’s office first.
Richard Dresser’s Below the Belt began in 1996 as an off-Broadway play, and a film version followed in 2004. The play runs at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday in the Lyndall Finley Wortham Theatre. Tickets are $7 for students.
