Secrets of the Trade w/ John Glover

[SomeoneInATree]

Posted: 7/28/10 at 12:49pm

Just saw a really cute play the other night-- Secrets of the Trade at 59E59 Street (Primary Stages). John Glover (from last year's Waiting for Godot) plays a Broadway writer/director who takes a young theatre-obsessed boy (played by Noah Robbins) under his wing. I thought Glover was great and the rest of the cast delightful and that the play was well-done and had interesting things to say about the theater and mentorship. Has anyone else seen this? What did you think?

[After Eight]

Posted: 7/28/10 at 7:27pm

^
Sorry I can't share your favorable assessment of this work. John Glover was terrific, and the rest of the cast fine, but I found the play muddled in conception, overlong by at least a 1/2 hour, and unsure of what it was trying to say. Another problem was that the characters themselves were far from likeable, including the boy. It was hard to root for a kid whose most striking trait was his ambition, or to admire his attempt to use the older man just to further his own career.

[SomeoneInATree]

Posted: 7/29/10 at 11:46am

I thought the play explored the idea of mentorship. Are mentors there to get you jobs or are they there to support you as you make your own way? Or a little of both? Are they all-powerful or are they limited human beings? Are they there for professional matters, personal matters, or, again, a little of both? I also thought it explored the idea of "special" children whom parents (and the children themselves) feel should have all the opportunities in the world, and then what happens when they hit the real world and they're basically equal with everyone else.

I do agree that the kid often comes across as obnoxious sometimes, thinking that he should be given every opportunty, but it's interesting to see how that trait is linked to how he is raised. He's definitely not a perfect character, but that makes his relationship with John Glover's character more complex. If he were perfect, John Glover's character would seem like a horrible monster. At some points, the kid does need to be put in his place.

[After Eight]

Posted: 7/29/10 at 3:32pm

^
Actually this play has two plot thrusts: the kid's relationship with the parents, and that with the older man.

The first really isn't very interesting, and takes too long in resolving a matter that is clear to the audience much, much earlier in the evening. A crucial scene in that resolution is omitted, and is narrated instead, to weak dramatic effect.


As for the kid's relationship with the older man, the problem starts with the kid's expectations from the beginning. Why should he expect this older man to help him in any way? Who is he to him? A perfect stranger. The fact that the man deigns to have lunch with him struck me as already an act of unusual generosity. I did not see the Glover character as a monster at all. He did far more than the kid had any right to expect.


"At some points, the kid does need to be put in his place."

Frankly, I would say at every point.

[stevenycguy]

Posted: 7/29/10 at 6:42pm

What time does an 8pm show end ?

[After Eight]

Posted: 7/29/10 at 7:33pm

I don't remember the exact running time, but it was long- definitely over 2 hours, with intermission. It could stand to lose about a 1/2 hour.