TWO VIEWS OF
"THE UGLY ONE" Face Value "The Ugly One" Most of us don't recognize the name Yang Peiyi although she made headlines in 2008 when word leaked out that the beautiful voice of the 7 year old singing "Ode to the Motherland" at the opening of the Beijing Olympics Ceremony did not belong to the beautiful girl who was lip-syncing the anthem on television. Yang Peiyi had failed the cuteness test. That story brings to mind the British singer Susan Boyle's early life struggles. Sociologists studying American prisoners discovered that inmates who underwent plastic surgery were less likely not to commit another crime but to return to prison. Appearance matters. The young German playwright Marius von Mayenburg took this premise and ran with it in the American premiere of "The Ugly One," an outrageous comedy directed with élan by Daniel Aukin at Soho Rep. The play opens with Lette (Alfredo Narcisco), a top engineer, discussing an upcoming sales trip to his embarrassed assistant (Steven Boyer) and his even more embarrassed boss (Andrew Garman). It's obvious from the conversations that Lette is not going to present his invention to the buyers. Hasn't anyone told you? they ask him. Don't you know? You are hideously ugly. This is clever absurdity. After all, the actor Alfredo Narcisco is handsome – so we laughter freely – and he plays up his character's disbelief and outrage persuasively. Tension heightens when Lette returns home. I love you, says his beautiful wife (Lisa Joyce), but it took me a while to get used to your face. Is that why you only look in my left eye? he asks. I try not to look at you, she responds. You are incredibly ugly. If von Mayenburg had stayed true to his one-joke premise the play would have been an interesting comedy, but there are fascinating twists ahead. Lette is determined to undergo plastic surgery. The doctor is fatalistic. He has never encountered such a challenge before. But the surgery is successful, and now Lette faces new obstacles, which are as poignant as they are funny. Woman chase after him and he succumbs. It is my obligation, he tells his wife. How can I deny them? How many? she asks. I'll stop at 25. Am I number 25 then? she asks. No, he reassures her, always number one. With his marriage on the rocks and his attention diverted, he neglects his inventions. His assistant's technical improvements have surpassed his, but his boss is happy because sales are skyrocketing. The doctor advertises Lette as a success story and men flock for surgery that will make them Lette's mirror image. Lette's vanity deflates as he sees "his" face walking down the street or on television. His identity has been lost. Even the elderly client and her son who have befriended him confuse the man with his appearance and when he is not around, they entertain one of the clones. Von Mayenburg plays with so many hot-button themes -- and weaves them expertly into a tight narrative with wide-awake phrasing. This is funny funny funny Theatre of the Absurd at its best. The direction is as intelligent and creative as the comedy. Eugene Lee's set is sparse, a few chairs, a few microphones. But every aisle and nook are engaged. When the boss tries to escape Lette's questions, he disappears behind us seated in bleacher seats. Scenes shift fluidly from one side of the open stage to another and sound becomes atmosphere, most notably in the long operation when we hear the suction, the drill, and other sound effects that tap the imagination. The actors play multiple characters with no costume changes needed. And we are left to picture in our mind's eye Lette's physical transformation as well as that of the other men who adopt his new face. "The Ugly One" is pure theatre, theatre at its best. Kudos to all the fine actors. The 73-seat Soho Rep is an incubator for new work. In its 35 years, it has staged 124 full productions. Since 2000 it has won 12 Obies (Off Broadway awards). No wonder it usually plays to full houses. Sarah Benson, a British director, became Soho Rep's fourth Artistic Director in 2006, succeeding Daniel Aukin. The Ugly One THE UGLY ONE Most of us don’t recognize the name Yang Peiyi although she made headlines in 2008 when word leaked out that the beautiful voice of the 7 year old singing "Ode to the Motherland" at the opening of the Beijing Olympics Ceremony did not belong to the beautiful girl who was lip-syncing the anthem on television. Yang Peiyi had failed the cuteness test. That story brings to mind the British singer Susan Boyle’s early life struggles. Sociologists studying American prisoners discovered that inmates who underwent plastic surgery were less likely not to commit another crime but to return to prison. Appearance matters. The young German playwright Marius von Mayenburg took this premise and ran with it in the American premiere of "The Ugly One," an outrageous comedy directed with élan by Daniel Aukin at Soho Rep. The play opens with Lette (Alfredo Narcisco), a top engineer, discussing an upcoming sales trip to his embarrassed assistant (Steven Boyer) and his even more embarrassed boss (Andrew Garman). It’s obvious from the conversations that Lette is not going to present his invention to the buyers. Hasn’t anyone told you? they ask him. Don’t you know? You are hideously ugly. This is clever absurdity. After all, the actor Alfredo Narcisco is handsome – so we laughter freely – and he plays up his character’s disbelief and outrage persuasively. Tension heightens when Lette returns home. I love you, says his beautiful wife (Lisa Joyce), but it took me a while to get used to your face. Is that why you only look in my left eye? he asks. I try not to look at you, she responds. You are incredibly ugly. If von Mayenburg had stayed true to his one-joke premise the play would have been an interesting comedy, but there are fascinating twists ahead. Lette is determined to undergo plastic surgery. The doctor is fatalistic. He has never encountered such a challenge before. But the surgery is successful, and now Lette faces new obstacles, which are as poignant as they are funny. Woman chase after him and he succumbs. It is my obligation, he tells his wife. How can I deny them? How many? she asks. I’ll stop at 25. Am I number 25 then? she asks. No, he reassures her, always number one. With his marriage on the rocks and his attention diverted, he neglects his inventions. His assistant’s technical improvements have surpassed his, but his boss is happy because sales are skyrocketing. The doctor advertises Lette as a success story and men flock for surgery that will make them Lette’s mirror image. Lette’s vanity deflates as he sees "his" face walking down the street or on television. His identity has been lost. Even the elderly client and her son who have befriended him confuse the man with his appearance and when he is not around, they entertain one of the clones. Von Mayenburg plays with so many hot-button themes -- and weaves them expertly into a tight narrative with wide-awake phrasing. This is funny funny funny Theatre of the Absurd at its best. The direction is as intelligent and creative as the comedy. Eugene Lee’s set is sparse, a few chairs, a few microphones. But every aisle and nook are engaged. When the boss tries to escape Lette’s questions, he disappears behind us seated in bleacher seats. Scenes shift fluidly from one side of the open stage to another and sound becomes atmosphere, most notably in the long operation when we hear the suction, the drill, and other sound effects that tap the imagination. The actors play multiple characters with no costume changes needed. And we are left to picture in our mind’s eye Lette’s physical transformation as well as that of the other men who adopt his new face. "The Ugly One" is pure theatre, theatre at its best. Kudos to all the fine actors. The 73-seat Soho Rep is an incubator for new work. In its 35 years,
it has staged 124 full productions. Since 2000 it has won 12 Obies
(Off Broadway awards). No wonder it usually plays to full houses.
Sarah Benson, a British director, became Soho Rep’s fourth Artistic
Director in 2006, succeeding Daniel Aukin.
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