In January I filed a blog about the playwright Ed Schmidt who is currently performing his own play, with the curious title of My Last Play, to sold-out audiences in his 15-seat Brooklyn living room. For that blog I interviewed Ed and, while I had him on the phone, made a reservation to attend a month hence.
Last night was that performance. My short report is it’s well worth seeing.
“Meta” is harder to do on stage than in film because the camera and editing room allow for more trickery, but that’s the territory Schmidt is wading into here. The screenwriter Charlie Kaufman (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Being John Malkovich, Adaptation, Synecdoche) would feel an immediate affinity with Schmidt’s enterprise. Kaufman also wrote a play or two early in his career.
Schmidt’s play includes giving each audience member a volume from his extensive library of dramatic literature and criticism. In this way Schmidt’s performance perpetuates the art form he is abandoning - another oddity. Originally 2,000 volumes, his library is now down to about 1,500. At intermission you get to peruse the shelves and select your book. Act Two includes Schmidt free-associating on your selections: Where was he, who was he with, etc. when he read that book?
My pick? Benefactors by Michael Frayn. I admire Frayn’s writing and don’t know this play. I look forward to reading it.
If you’re in the mood for a unique theatrical experience, make your way to Brooklyn (F train to Carroll St.). Be sure to make a reservation as the play is sold out for a month or two. Schmidt insists the play will end when the books are gone. I believe him. What I’m less certain about is that this will be his last play. We will see.
