Tom Story as Sam in Fully Committed. (Photo by Chris Banks)
People are terrible.
There’s something about restaurants that can bring out the worst instincts in others, whether it be narcissistic tendencies, rudeness, entitled behavior, or snobbery. Fully Committed, Becky Mode’s one-man play enjoying a run at MetroStage, capitalizes on this particular quirk of human nature to hilarious effect.
The play makes working the reservations line at a trendy, molecular gastronomy-focused New York restaurant look like the most terrible job in the world (and let’s be real—it’s probably up there), at least when it comes to dealing with others.
Sam (Tom Story) is flying solo during one particularly hellish morning in December. His coworkers are AWOL, the lines never stop ringing, and his restaurants’ chefs and maitre’d aren’t exactly doing him any favors, calling on him to manage their pride or clean up a particularly horrific bathroom incident. Amidst the craziness, Sam is trying to cope with tension over his struggling acting career, and find a way to get home for the holidays to be with his recently-widowed father (and things aren’t looking promising in either department).
Mode’s play is a savvy satire of the current restaurant climate (at least in the eyes of this food writer). “Crispy deer lichen atop a slowly deflating scent-filled pillow, dusted with edible dirt,” a course served at the play’s unnamed restaurant, sounds like a course straight out of René Redzepi’s Noma.
Sam finds himself fielding ridiculous requests from celebrities (Gwenyth Paltrow’s insufferable assistant Brice calls in, more than happy to provide softer Edison lightbulbs to make sure the lighting during the star’s vegan, corn-free tasting menu isn’t too harsh). The lengths to which VIPs will go to secure a table at this place, booked three months out (with a reservation system that will sound familiar to anyone who’s tried to snag a table anywhere from The French Laundry to D.C.’s own Komi), are predictably insane. Sam encounters cash bribes, name-dropping, emergency call interruptions from the phone company, quid-pro-quo favors, and threats, all within the span of a few hours.
All these exchanges are brought to life by the versatile Story himself, who embodies every voice in the piece. Though some characters can rely uncomfortably on ethnic stereotypes, Story easily and credibly transitions from caller to caller. Several impressions are a particular delight, whether it be the restaurant’s fragile ego-ed bro chef or that aforementioned celebrity assistant. Story makes the entire process seem effortless, no small feat when headlining a play of rapid-fire dialogue and frantic transitions.
Director Alan Paul guides the no-intermission play towards a satisfying conclusion, as Sam finally gets empowered enough to begin to stand up to the people taking advantage of him. It’s a pity he has to borrow a page from those terrible, bullying restaurateurs and self-absorbed customers to do it.
Fully Committed runs through Jan. 8 at MetroStage. Tickets ($55-60) are available online.
