There aren’t many truly accredited acting coaches in existence. If any exceptions do exist, one of those would surely be Lee Strasberg. Strasberg was so revered for his work that he became known as The Father of the Method. Via his method, actors were to use real experiences from their lives to drive their emotions on stage or in front of the camera. His teachings have lived on, and as an example, his West Hollywood facility staged Reasons to Be Pretty a few years back.
The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute is committed to continuing his work with actors.his West Hollywood facility staged Reasons to Be Pretty a few years back
The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute is committed to continuing his work with actors. The company stages their own plays as well, and Neil Labute’s Reasons to Be Pretty is just one of the many. The play follows friends Greg, Steph, Kent, and Carly. Each coupled with another, their lives are turned upside down following a conversation between Greg and Kent in which Greg says something about Steph that she finds to be very unflattering. Steph is hurt by his remarks despite Greg’s attempts to explain himself, trying his best to assert that he didn’t mean to upset her.
There are pros and cons with this production, but the important thing to remember is that this show is about the acting. One pro is that of Neil Labute’s material. The dialogue is rich and intelligent, though it’s incredibly crass and profane. In a comical sense, Labute rarely ever fails and he certainly doesn’t in this. Of course, executing the text correctly is pursuant to the acting talent. As the talent here is trained at Strasberg’s company, this wasn’t an issue either. The entire cast of four was strong but Zoe Sidney and Paul Rush steal the show entirely. Sidney as Steph, has probably the best grasp of Labute’s writing more than the others. Rush as Kent just has natural comedic tendencies. The way he speaks, how he moves, and his reactions to the rest of the cast just make it difficult not to laugh. One con is that the set is limited, but, not too limited. Still, this show’s design makes anything that doesn’t have to do with the characters trivial. To be fair though, their set is tweaked enough between scenes to show a difference in location so there’s really not much to gripe about. The only other thing lacking is in how this production was filmed. The camera work wasn’t professional per say, but it is shot well enough to get close ups at critical moments and the focus is kept where it should be throughout.
Apart from any of that it’s solid, and Strasberg’s teachings work well with a show that’s as relatable as Reasons to Be Pretty. The proof is in this staging of it. Being that Labute writes about people and makes everything more personal, this play is perfect for a troupe whose instruction has been purely to internalize everything and then to manifest it all physically. So check it out, because the full show is free on YouTube.
