Help Wanted?

I just saw Help Wanted: A Personal Search for Meaningful Employment at the Start of the 21st Century, a monologue by the young performer/monologist Josh Lefkowitz. Although it was far from a masterpiece, I can’t help being reminded how much I enjoy solo performances and monologues, even though it’s a form that I really don’t understand on a theoretical or even formal level. How does it work when it works well? What separates the good from the bad? I’m convinced it’s not just the charisma of the performer, since I’ve seen strong performers give rotten solo plays (cf. All That I Will Ever Be). It’s something about the quality and depth of the storytelling. The challenge, really, is to convince the audience that your banal story about your life matters in a big way. Lefkowitz didn’t quite get there, but there was more than one part of his play that was truly moving and will probably stick with me (such as his mantra: “What Would Spalding [Gray] Do?”), and I think he has the potential to someday write a great show.

I can’t say that his piece was illuminating in regards to one of my main personal struggles right now, which is figuring out what the heck I want to do with my life (or even my immediate future). His conclusion, if he had one at all, was that we should all just keep our pens scratching no matter what happens.

Do I keep my pen scratching (no)? Do I always do what Spalding would do (which, for Lefkowitz, largely means listening to everyone’s stories and talking to as many strangers as possible)? No. Is my ego and ambition matched by my follow-through and work ethic? No. Am I writing diary entries into a blog purely because I hope someone will read my ramblings and pretend that they matter? Yes. Have I started any of my final papers yet? No.

So, that’s my entry for the day.