Review: “The O’Leary Theory” with ARTÉMAKAR PRODUCTIONS
“The O’Leary” theory is a completely improvised digital play about a former reality show family being brought back together by the father, Jerry (Played by James Bearman) in order to pitch a reboot to producers. The kids, all reluctant to return to that life, are promised information on their missing mother and so they all come together to give the pitch. And in true reality show fashion, what results is full of drama. Putting the audience in the role of the producers and allowing them to directly affect the outcome of the show, “The O’Leary Theory” is a funny and entertaining play that makes really good use of its online medium.
The show uses its medium in a very unique and entertaining way. Allowing the audience to play a role and see their choices happen in real-time isn’t necessarily a new idea but the choice to set the show within a pitch meeting for a reality show and making the audience the producers, is a perfect set up for this kind of storytelling. The story itself is pretty simple: a comedian is pitching a reboot for his family reality show to a group of producers and his children, having grown up, are less willing to jump back in. Yet, the added mystery of their mother as well as the vibrant performances across the board, really get you excited to see what more this family has to reveal.
As I mentioned, the performances are wonderful across the board. The actors do a great job of making us feel the history between them. Two standouts are Bearman as the father, Jerry, and Oliver Prose as the youngest son Corden . Bearman comes in right off the bat and like any good salesman is all smiles and charm, enthusiastically jumping from bit to bit with incredible timing. He truly sets the rapid pace for the show moving forward. This creates a great contrast when the somewhat milder children come onto the scene. Prose is also good throughout, but it’s his heart-wrenching monologue towards the end that really sets him apart. In a show that is mostly moving at a rapid pace, that moment brings the play to a halt in a really beautiful way. The show is also completely improvised, something that I actually did not realize until after the fact because the actors were so on top of their game. The chemistry between the cast really allows for the improv to flow seamlessly from one actor to the next until you don’t even realize it’s improv at all!
My only real problem with this production was that at times the pacing felt a little off. This was of course, due, in large part, to the fact that the actors had to wait for the live responses in order to know what to do next. These moments were filled in with some great improv on the actor’s parts but it still sometimes felt as though we were all waiting for the next scene to begin. Though the larger pacing problems came in an end reveal that, while surprising, didn’t feel earned by the rest of the play. It felt as though we weren’t given enough build-up to this point for it to have the desired impact. Perhaps, if given a little bit more time, this moment could really back a punch but with the current run time, it feels like we reached the climax a little early. Of course, knowing that it’s mostly improvised, it makes sense that the pacing wouldn’t be as tight each night However, the actors set such high expectations at the beginning I was hopeful the pace would carry all the way through. This did not, however, detract from my overall enjoyment of the show.
Overall, I think “The O’Leary Theory” was an entertaining show with a great use of its medium, talented actors, and a story that, while having a few pacing problems, was still very enjoyable to watch. I look forward to seeing more from the O’Leary family if this show gets “greenlit” any further.
“The O’Leary Theory was produced by ARTÉMAKAR PRODUCTIONS and directed by Arthur Makaryan.
It features: James Bearman, Nicole Ansari, Alex Marz, Tamara Sevunts, and Oliver Prose
With dramaturgy by Ned Moore.
Tech by Hayk Mikayelyan
And Visual Communication by Vilyam Karapetyan