Open Wardrobes

A couple of nights ago I had the opportunity to catch Tim Mooney, a playwright and actor, in performance with his solo show Moliere Than Thou. Tim had brought this show to the 2007 Minnesota Fringe Festival, but I missed it and so when I heard he was back in Minnesota I jumped at the chance to see it. The framework of the play is Tim as Moliere who proceeds to perform speeches from his plays (as his acting troupe has had a run-in with some bad shellfish). The performance was brilliant. To start with the script was very well-done (a testament to Tim as a writer) with wonderful translations which gave evidence to Tim's deep knowledge of Moliere's works. As a performer Tim was filled with energy from start to finish, dashing around the stage and climbing around the theater as he moved from play to play. He reminded me of a young Hugh Laurie (from the likes of Jeeves and Wooster (especially in his facial movements; I've never seen someone act so much with their tongue). What held my attention the most was Tim's complete dedication to what he was doing. The script was enjoyable, the translations excellent, but it was the actor, throwing himself completely into the part, that pulled the whole show together. All in all it was a brilliant piece of work. I'm glad I was able to catch it, and it makes me sorry I've missed Tim's other shows at the Fringe.


As I work on my own one-man show it was inspiring to see a piece like this done so well from both the acting and writing sides. Not to mention a reminder of how important it will be for myself as an actor to sell the piece. And, of course, having a great script doesn't hurt. :-)