Looking forward to Listen to Me
The Muhlenberg Theatre Association is starting the spring semester off with the first of three Mainstage plays, Listen to Me. Listen to Me is a deeply poetic and significant reflection on the true meaning behind life, written by Gertrude Stein and directed by Professor James Peck. The characters of this play deal with both serious and more light-hearted emotions, and try above all else to hold onto their hope. This play will portray Sweet William (Xavier Pacheco ‘19) and Lillian (Felice Amsellem ‘17), as well as the rest of the characters, as they struggle to philosophize their situation in a very rhythmically beautiful way.
Peck explained more on Stein’s style and what her play is about, stating, “Stein is...an untraditional writer for the theatre. [Her plays] don’t have a clear plot or even discrete characters. On the page, they look more like long prose poems than plays. But they are tremendously theatrical and very moving, and Listen to Me is one of my favorites. It has been a great joy for me to remember how fulfilling it is to arrive at a way to approach a particular moment, and to see how passionate the writing can be when it’s enacted. And it’s been great both to be able to share that with students, and also to learn from them about the range and scope of the mate- rial.”
It is important to realize when watching Listen to Me that the plot is nonlinear, and the text can be difficult to understand. Overall, however, watching the play is meant to be an enlightening, albeit challenging, experience for the audience. “I hope audiences will come with an open mind and give themselves over to the experience,” said Peck. “The evening won’t provide what most people are used to from the theatre—a clear story. But in place of that, it does offer a gorgeous text that addresses some of the most urgent social and eco- logical issues of our time. So people should know that although Listen to Me doesn’t have a single straightforward meaning, it does issue many invitations for them to make meaning. I hope they’ll take the ride.”
Listen to Me stars Pacheco as Sweet William and Amsellem as Lillian. When asked about what it was like to work on this play, Amsellem commented, “This has been one of the most complicated, intense, and incredibly meaningful and fulfilling theatrical experiences I’ve ever been a part of.”
“Jim [Peck] is such an incredibly brilliant man, and our cast is so talented and hardworking...I’m so grateful I’ve gotten to have the opportunity to work with such fantastic artists,” said Amsellem. “Creating the piece has been much more collaborative than I could have imagined--which is one of the many things that makes this show so unique and special. The process has taken a lot of patience and work, but every second has been worth it. I am so incredibly proud of all of the work we have put into this show, and could not be more thankful to be a part of this phenomenal company.”
The show also features Julie Amento ‘17, Rachel Brudner ‘19, Avery Brunkus ‘17, Peter Callahan 17, Rebecca Canziani ‘17, Gab Fischetti ‘18, Sean Fowley ‘17, Emily Hoolihan ‘17, Max Keane ‘17, Jenna Lowry ‘17, Ally Merrill ‘17, Jessica Orelus ‘19 and Nate Rosario ‘19.
Audiences are encouraged to keep an open mind, and to remember that Stein’s work is both complex and beautiful. Pacheco has some advice for audience members when coming to see Listen to Me: “When coming into this play: Feel. Feel. Feel. Be sensitive. The experience of this play is wholly up to you, the audience. Listen with not just your ears, but your heart and soul. There are so many layers to the play, and it can be difficult to try and decipher all of the meanings through just the words. This is normal for [Stein’s] writings, and we have all been stumped by her at some point or another. Her words can be completely transcending, or impossibly complex. Just know that as long as you’re willing, attentive, and sensitive, you’re doing it right.”
Because of all of the hard work that has been put into this performance, this play is surely worth the sup- port of fellow students. If you are interested in seeing Listen to Me, it will be performed in the Studio Theatre on Feb. 22, 23, and 24 at 8p.m., on Feb. 25 at 2p.m. and 8 p.m., and on Feb. 26 at 2 p.m.
Photo courtesy of Muhlenberg College Theatre and Dance