Dick Cheney won’t be the only “Dick” in town. On Friday, March 28, AU Players will begin to show off their comedic side with an uproarious comedy that veers from the domestic life of one married couple to falling outs with the mob and surly Serbian nationals. Jesse Saywell, a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences, has had a close relationship to the show ever since he saw it in a community theatre production when he was in high school. The production managed to stick in his mind long enough to send a proposal to AU Players.
Saywell talks with The Eagle’s David Kahen-Kashi about his time working on the show, his first directorial effort and what he hopes audiences who see “Tom, Dick and Harry” take away from the production.
Eagle: How’d you get involved with AU Players?
Jesse Saywell: It’s tough. I sent in my submission for this show, I think, probably about 20 minutes before the deadline. Just because I couldn’t seem to make up my mind whether I actually wanted to try directing or not this semester. I knew I wanted to at some point, but I wasn’t sure that the spring was when I wanted to do it. I took [a] directing class last semester and really found a passion for it. I always said that “Tom, Dick and Harry” would be a show that I would love to direct. I saw it a long time ago and so that was the play I figured would be good for me to start with. It’s a comedy, I’m really comfortable with comedy and at the very last minute my dad, I think I was home for Thanksgiving break at the time, and my dad just said you need to send it. You at least need to give it a try, so I did.
E: What’s your experience with the show, “Tom, Dick and Harry?”
JS: When I saw the show I was probably in my sophomore year of high school or so. I saw a local community production of it from my hometown, and I died laughing. It was just one of the funniest things I had ever seen, so much so that I went back, and I found friends of mine who typically hate theatre, hate everything about theatre, I don’t understand why, but they do, and I was like, “You have to come see this play. This will change your mind about live productions. It’s just as funny to me as any movie if not more funny.” I think it’s more funny than the vast majority of comedic movies. Just because it’s live, it’s real, it’s right in front of you. And so I brought people with me. I think I went to the production three times just because I kept bringing different people back with me, and I was so enamored with the play. I thought it was so funny.
Typically, I don’t see shows more than once and that one hit me.
E: What was it like working with AU Players on this play, and what is it about?
JS: I think “Tom, Dick and Harry” is a little more traditional than the stuff done by AU Players. But it’s very much a farcical play but a modern farce; very easy to understand, very easy to follow and just absolutely absurd. It follows the story of Tom and his wife, Linda, who are trying to adopt a baby and Tom’s two brothers, Dick and Harry, continue to come in and they’re well intentioned, but they come in with these schemes that make everything worse. As the show progresses things just continue to spiral downwards.
One of the reasons that I thought I had at least a decent shot and should at least submit a proposal was I knew that not a lot of people were submitting comedies. I think part of that is, oddly enough, a D.C. environment. We’re very political, and quite frankly I like all of that, I’m rather political myself, and I enjoy the message behind theatre, but what I wanted to bring it back to was the way that theatre started, which is pure entertainment.
Sitting down and watching something that’s not real but believing it and enjoying it in that process. In my director’s note, I say something along the lines of ‘If you find a message in the show, I didn’t put it there.” And so I wanted to get back to basics with it. I think it’s going to be different from what a lot of people have seen. It’s still off the wall, quirky and really, really interesting, and it stockpiles. But from a standpoint of comparing it to what AU Players has done in recent years, it’s definitely something new for them, and we’re excited to get it on it’s feet and see how people react.
E: What do you expect the audience to take away from the show?
JS: I completely expect people to roar with laughter during the show. And my goal [is that] people leave and they say I’m really glad I went to see that. I think that should be the goal with all of theatre. They don’t have to leave from it getting some sort of message from it.
“Tom, Dick and Harry” plays on Friday, March 28 at 8 p.m. in Letts Formal Lounge, March 29 in the University Club at 8 p.m. and March 30 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. in the University Club. Tickets are $5 at “eventbrite.”:http://www.eventbrite.com/e/tom-dick-and-harry-tickets-11087907229
