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Buyer & Cellar

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Buyer & Cellar
Written byJonathan Tolins
Date premieredApril 2, 2013
Place premieredRattlestick Playwrights Theater, New York City
Original languageEnglish

Buyer & Cellar is a 2013 American one-man play by Jonathan Tolins.

Plot summary

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The play is a one-man comedy that follows Alex More, a struggling gay actor working in Los Angeles, who is down on his luck after being recently fired from Disneyland. He lands a job curating the Malibu basement of Barbra Streisand. (The real-life Streisand constructed a series of "Main Street" storefronts beneath her Malibu barn inspired by the Winterthur Museum in Delaware in order to house her collection of dolls and other trinkets).[1] More at first does not meet his employer, but eventually Streisand comes down to peruse her collection, and the two strike up a friendly relationship. The play chronicles the fictional exchanges between More and his idol, the source of both admiration and frustration on More's part. The entire play is narrated from More's point of view and is presented as a story told to his screenwriter boyfriend Barry.

Performance history

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The play premiered at the Rattlestick Playwrights Theater in New York City on April 2, 2013. The production starred Michael Urie and was directed by Stephen Brackett. The same production then opened off-Broadway at the Barrow Street Theatre on June 24, 2013, closing in 2014.[2] Urie won a Clarence Derwent Award for his performance[3] as well as a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Solo Performance.[4] Clancy O'Connor was Urie's understudy.[5] The production subsequently transferred to London at the Menier Chocolate Factory, Off West End from 12 March to 2 May 2015, with Urie reprising his performance.

The show was performed and live-streamed by Michael Urie on April 19, 2020.[6] In France, Julien Baptist performed the show in December 2013.[7] In London, Aaron Sidwell performed the show in October 2020.[citation needed]

A new London production directed by Kirk Jameson opened at the King's Head Theatre, starring Rob Madge as Alex running from 18 September to 19 October 2024, before transferring to The Drum at Theatre Royal, Plymouth from 29 October to 3 November 2024.

References

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  1. ^ Rooney, David (April 4, 2013). "An Underground Passion for a Star's Stuff". The New York Times. Retrieved June 6, 2016.
  2. ^ Tolins, Jonathan (April 29, 2014). Buyer & Cellar. Dramatists Play Service Inc. ISBN 978-0-8222-3017-5.
  3. ^ Gans, Andrew (May 16, 2013). "Annaleigh Ashford and Michael Urie Win Clarence Derwent Awards". Playbill. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
  4. ^ Meyer, Dan (August 15, 2019). "Upcoming Grand Horizons Star Michael Urie to Host The Acting Company's 2019 Fall Gala". Playbill. Retrieved September 3, 2019.
  5. ^ Hernandez, Greg (January 11, 2014). "Morning Man Encore: Clancy O'Connor!". Retrieved 25 March 2021.
  6. ^ Lindsey Sullivan (April 19, 2020). "Tonight! Watch Michael Urie Reprise His Acclaimed Buyer & Cellar Turn Right Here on Broadway.com". Broadway.com. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
  7. ^ "Comme ça lui chante" (in French).
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