I’m venturing out of the more academic side of
Moravian to
the creative. Moravian College's Theater Company, one of the best known
of the many organized clubs on campus, has been doing a series of play
readings on Friday nights. They had a play reading of “Good
People” on Friday, Oct. 14. Going hand in hand with this year’s In Focus
theme,
Poverty and Inequality, the play took us to modern day Southside Boston
and the
plight of Margie.
A “Southie” native, Margie is fired from her job at a dollar
store due to her being constantly late. Her adult daughter, Joyce, is mentally
retarded and cannot take care of herself, so she is constantly late because of
her daughter’s fits. With no completed formal education, she has to struggle to
find a job in a poor economy.
The play provides a look between the poor and those who are
financially well off. It compares Margie to her old childhood friend Michael,
who got out of Southside to become a doctor and now lives “comfortably”, as he
calls it.
For a two act play, it gives a really complex interaction between the
characters, all who are struggling in their own way, and the lengths to which
they’ll go to get by. Margie tries to trick Michael into thinking he is Joyce’s
father so she could receive support. She also tries to manipulate her manager
so she wouldn’t be fired. It’s essentially a play about survival, and raising
questions about the lengths people will go to in order to survive.
It’s hard not to
connect the play to the current “We are the 99 Percent” movement taking place
right now, fueled by rising unemployment rates and a widening economic gap
between the rich and poor. I think many in the audience, including myself, were
reminded of someone as we watched the play, someone who was also desperate and
struggling, like Margie.
My favorite part was at the end. After a failed
confrontation with Michael, Margie is left with no job still and no money for
rent. A check shows up containing enough money for one month’s rent. It turns
out it came from the man who had to fire her. It wasn’t from Michael, who
Margie always considered “good people” but from the man who had put her –
however unwillingly – into her current situation, showing us just what really
is “good people”.
So, did anyone else see the play? What did you think?
I unfortunately didn't get to go to the reading but it sounded interesting! Great post!
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