Students Shine in Say Goodnight, Gracie

By Broadside Style Editor Emily Sharrer

When theater professor Edward Gero met Ralph Pape in 1977 while working at a midtown New York City office, neither of them could have guessed that over 30 years and two successful careers later the two would wind up reuniting at George Mason University.

But when it came time for Gero, a decorated stage performer, to direct the GMU Players’ next production, Pape’s Say Goodnight, Gracie was a natural choice.

“My first year living in New York, my survival job was the first telemarketing department in the United States,” said Gero. “It was a room filled with 45 struggling actors on the phone and among the people there was Ralph Pape.”

Pape was in the process of writing Say Goodnight, Gracie while working with Gero and would often bring in pages for his coworkers to read while standing around the water cooler.

“His play got produced, so I was sort of at the birth of this play,” said Gero.
Say Goodnight, Gracie, is set in an East Village apartment in 1976, where “five twenty-somethings attempt to figure out what has become of their lives and dreams.” The play takes place during one marijuana-filled evening, where high school friends Jerry, Steve and Bobby joined by Jerry’s girlfriend Ginny and Bobby’s girlfriend Catherine realize that “there are no clear and simple answers anymore.”
Riddled with funny moments and driven by its touching monologues, Say Goodnight, Gracie shows us what happens to a dream deferred.

“I think students will recognize the struggle of young people getting out into the world trying to figure out whether they’ve chosen the right path,” said Gero. “It’s funny and poignant . . . every twenty-something has to go through the same process whether it’s 1970 or 2009.”

For six weeks, the five-member cast practiced four hours a day, Monday through Friday, in preparation for last Thursday’s opening night. It was evident throughout the night’s performance that their hard work paid off.

Senior theater major Michael Deveney played aspiring actor Jerry to a tee. Pessimistic and down on his luck, Deveney really got into character, effectively showing the audience the character’s many layers.

Matthew Friedman, also a senior theater major, kept the audience laughing as Steve, an aspiring screen writer. Friedman played the fun-loving sidekick to Deveney’s serious character, using the small stage for sometimes outlandish physical comedy.

“I think this group of actors has come together and they’ve created a real lively interaction on stage,” said Gero, who auditioned over 60 students for the play. “It’s fun to watch what they can do.”

When senior theater and English major Andrew Hawkins first came on stage as Jersey Shore musician Bobby, I was a little unsure of his over-the-top enthusiasm and thick New Jersey accent, though he quickly proved my suspicions about his character wrong. Though his accent faltered at times, the audience didn’t seem to mind as Hawkins took the plays energy and humor levels to new heights. Very similar to Kenickie in Grease, Bobby is a genuine character whose rough-around-the-edges exterior is cracked as his own insecurities and layers unfold over the course of the play.

Junior theater and communication major Carina Czipoth as Jerry’s caring girlfriend, Ginny, and senior theater major Kelly Hennessy as Bobby’s sexy stewardess companion Catherine are the perfect complement to one another.

Hennessy’s marijuana-induced one liners are delivered perfectly, and her tight dress and kitten heels are just the opposite of Czipoth’s jeans and flannel ensemble. Czipoth truly makes Ginny into the girlfriend every guy wants—loving, laidback and able to hang with the boys.

Say Goodnight, Gracie is a heartwarming, realistic tale, providing an intimate look into the real life fear of life after college.

“It’s not an event-driven play,” said Gero. “It’s a character-driven piece . . . it requires a shift in how we tend to expect theater to be—it’s a little quieter.”
Three weeks ago, Gero managed to get in contact with Pape, whom he hasn’t seen in about 30 years. After Saturday night’s performance, Pape will join the cast and audience for a question and answer session about the play.

You can catch the GMU Players production of Say Goodnight, Gracie at TheaterSpace Thursday through Saturday at 8 p.m. or at special 2 p.m. showings on Saturday and Sunday.