Road-tripping w/ Steven Dietz

This should probably be titled Road-tripping for Dietz* (or rather to see his plays).  Steven Dietz is actually one of the more successful American playwrights, but I have not managed to see any of his plays.  I did read a few of his scripts while in Chicago.  The Nina Variations is a little bit like running Chekhov's The Seagull through the blender.  It's not quite as purely absurdist or consistently funny as Durang's effort (Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike) nor as "faithful" as Posner's Stupid F*ing Bird.  It's more of a cubist piece.  I'd probably like seeing it live, though it's a little hard to tell of course.

I decided not to read Yankee Tavern, since the reviews suggested it had some creepy twists at the end which were better not spoiled.  Somehow I missed out (finding out too late) about a short run in Milwaukee, which I could have made via Amtrak train.  Then it ran in Chicago, but after I moved away.  I've kept my eye on DPS, however, and it will be performed in Rochester in February.  I'm quite likely to bus it out there, so I hope it lives up to my somewhat inflated expectations.

If I do like it and perhaps read a couple other of his plays (and like them), then I'll decide how much effort to make in tracking down and watching the others.  A relatively short list** of the other ones I'd like to see includes:

• Bloomsday (indeed inspired by Joyce's Ulysses)
• Lonely Planet (an AIDS-era play)
• This Random World

I actually have this crazy idea of staging Lonely Planet as a site-specific in this odd bookstore up the street.  (The play is set in a crowded map shop.)  Given that this bookstore isn't truly accessible and may not have any bathrooms at all, I couldn't do it under the Fringe umbrella.  However, given that the play involves bringing in a bunch of chairs over and filling up the space, it would quickly become completely claustrophobic, as well as a fire hazard, so I think this will remain an unrealized dream.

Many of these other plays are being performed in quite out of the way places, but Bloomsday will be in Chicago from mid May through mid June.  Interestingly enough his new play about the Beats (Mad Beat Hip & Gone) is also playing in Chicago from late April through June 1.  I had sort of been toying with idea of going to catch both.  Now I just found out that I sort of should be in Vegas in early June (never thought I would say that), I might work out a quick trip to Chicago, immediately followed by a flight to Vegas.

I probably won't completely knock myself out to see the others, but I will keep my eyes open (and keep checking DPS), as well as encourage Toronto theatre companies to put on some of these pieces.  As it turns out, Private Eyes played Toronto in 2010 so may not be returning for a while, but I don't think any of the others on the list have come through.


* Indeed, one of his most successful plays is Becky's New Car, about a very odd road trip.  Ironically, this one doesn't particularly interest me and I would not road trip it to see it, but if it turns up in Toronto proper I'd probably go.  It appears that it has popped up in London and Cambridge but not Toronto as of yet.

** After reading it, I dropped Private Eyes, as this is all post-modern game-playing, i.e. there is no meaningful final reality (everyone is just playing a part within a part) and thus the stakes are nil.  I'd probably go see a local storefront theatre put this on, but I am definitely not going to go out of my way to see it.