According to Del Shores, one should “never let the truth get in the way of a good story”. Actually, it was Mark Twain that said that, but Shores was sure to put that in his recent one man show that’s now currently on stream. Either way, the notion applies here in Six Characters in Search of a Play. Performer, director, and writer Del Shores filmed a production of this show at the Celebration Theatre in Los Angeles in 2019 to an eager crowd. Shores goes it alone in this energetic performance that may not necessarily qualify as a ‘play’, yet still qualifies as theatre.
Six Characters in Search of a Play. Performer, director, and writer Del Shores filmed a production of this show at the Celebration Theatre in Los Angeles in 2019 to an eager crowd.
It’s true it would be hard to classify this show as a play. Shores himself takes it upon himself to explain this in so many words. As his credentials vary in the field of entertainment, he likens to referring to himself as a ‘storyteller’ above all else, which is more or less what this show is: Shores telling stories, through characters and through himself. He plays six different characters, five women and one man, all of whom according to him, do not fit into any other play he’s written or could write. The characters are based on real people he’s met, and all have their own story. As Shores tells theirs, he also takes a fair amount of the show to include snippets of stories from his own life that somehow relate to everything he’s talking about.
For his set, there’s not much to it being that there’s really no point. There are a few room dividers, a few chairs, and some onstage lights. It’s a verbal production, so most everything happening revolves around him talking. In the tech department, the show is also in short supply, though again this is without consequence because the show is about characters. Thus far, one would assume it’s just a man on a stage saying some things. Fortunately it isn’t. Shores has an entertainment factor going for him and in this case, it’s his personality. He interacts with the audience as though they are friends over at his house. It’s a presentational show, so he speaks to and directly acknowledges the audience a lot. Though this doesn’t typically work well for a standard play, if Shores’ goal is just to tell stories (as he puts it) then this show works fine. In regards to his performance, he definitely separates himself from the other characters. He changes accents, physicality, demeanour, and energy for each role awarding him many laughs from his live audience.
For whatever one wants to call this show, it works and he works for what it is. A play?
For whatever one wants to call this show, it works and he works for what it is. A play? Perhaps not so much. A night of entertainment? It very much makes the grade. Del Shores is a special kind of something and theatre regulars may not be as keen to see something like this, but anyone who enjoys a laugh is bound to want to sit in anyway. Catch it on Broadway HD for a limited time.
