A dork threatens the marriage of a white ex-cheerleader and her black ex-athlete husband in Bakersfield College’s production of Neil LaBute’s play, “This is How It Goes.”
The play will be performed at BC’s Indoor Theater and runs March 5, 6, 7, 12, 13 and 14. All shows starts at 8 p.m.
The play is directed by BC’s Kimberly Chin.
The dork, known simply as “Man” (John Spitzer) went to high school with the black ex-jock, Cody Phipps (Jacare Calhoun) and the white ex-cheerleader, Belinda (Mandie Sopher). Cody and Belinda have become the quintessential American married couple living in a Midwestern town with the requisite two children. Man, a quintessential loser who had a crush on Belinda in high school, comes to the Phipps’ town and rents a room from them. Man is still interested in Belinda, and, of course, that causes some dynamic tension.
Jacare Calhoun described Cody as a self-centered, defensive and overbearing man. He said Cody’s mother left his father, and this naturally taints his psyche.
“He tries to be the alpha male. He’s very bitter. His attitude in his relationship with people is ‘I’m going to hurt them before they hurt me,'” Calhoun said.
Mandie Sopher said that her character, Belinda, does not like her husband’s controlling attitude toward her, and she wants him to be more loving and affectionate.
“He makes it all about himself,” Sopher said. “He’s a jerk.”
Of Man, the catalyst of the play, John Spitzer said that he is a manipulator who relishes manipulating people. However, he does it without malice and only for fun.
“Man likes to cause mayhem but in a friendly way,” Spitzer said.
The most important aspect of this play is that it explores where society stands on racial stereotypes, said Kimberly Chin. The foremost character, Man, remains unnamed throughout the play because he could represent anyone of any ethnicity or background who retains racial stereotypes. However, the play does not simply promote social awareness; artistically speaking, the play is high-caliber.
“LaBute’s style is a lot like Harold Pinter’s,” Chin said. “There are silences and pauses in this play that build dramatic tension. It focuses on a natural and realistic situation, and the characters are multi-dimensional and not clear-cut.”
LaBute also wrote the stage plays “The Distance from Here,” “Bash” and “In The Company of Men,” according to Chin. LaBute is also a film director and screenwriter whose credits include “Lakeview Terrace” and “Nurse Betty.”
BC’s next play will be Neil Simon’s “Brighton Beach Memoirs” in April. “Memoirs” will be directed by BC’s Jennifer Sampson.