By Jay Harris
Can art change the world? Where is the divide between young and old? What roles do love and success play in our lives? These are all questions tackled by the Maryland Ensemble Theater’s new play “Stupid F**king Bird” written by Aaron Posner. In a story that is “sort of adapted from Chekhov’s ‘The Seagull’,” director Gerald Stropnicky has put together a play that deals with complex philosophical themes, dynamic characters who know they are in a fictional play and a story that blurs the line between reality and abstract.
The main focus of the story is on Conrad, a conflicted young director trying to impress his mother Emma, a jaded actress, as well as her boyfriend Trigorin, an acclaimed writer. When Conrad’s girlfriend Nina starts to flirt with Trigorin, Conrad gets caught in the middle of a love triangle (or love pentagon) along with his friends Mash, a cynical musician in love with Conrad, and Dev, a whimsical idealist in love with Mash. Meanwhile, Emma’s older brother Sorn delivers words of wisdom and support to the other characters and the audience.
A recurring motif in “Stupid F**king Bird” is that the characters are aware they are in a play acting out a story, and much of the humor and drama comes from this. An early scene has Conrad delivering a monologue complaining about theater in which he addresses the audience, and later on he asks the audience for advice regarding his situation. This idea is explored throughout the story, and feeds into the tension of the play.
Pros: This play has much to offer frequent theatergoers, as well as casual ones. The dialogue is intelligent and realistic, and the actors put a good deal of passion into their lines, which creates an intense ensemble of characters who exhibit great chemistry and a full range of emotion. The audience reacted well to the comedy, and was heavily involved during the more serious scenes. The set design is impressive with a fully functioning kitchen that includes a working refrigerator and blender. It’s easy to see the hard work that must have been put into “Stupid F**king Bird”.
Cons: The story moves a little slowly, with frequent monologues that soak up a lot of time in an already long play. While the slow pace is largely intentional and mostly works in favor of the play, there are a couple points early in the play where things could have moved a bit quicker. Also, some of the scene transitions were a little awkward with pieces being moved loudly as characters were talking softly. It’s understandable that not every set change will happen 100 percent smoothly, and most of them did, but when it distracts from the performance then that’s a problem.
Overall, “Stupid F**king Bird” is a solid, funny play with a great cast of characters. Besides one or two slow moments, it is intensely engaging. Not only is it worth going to see, but FCC students can get free vouchers from the Center for Student Engagement.
