Comedic whirlwind “Fully Committed” opens June 30

Through humor, “Fully Committed” delves into the underbelly of the most exclusive restaurants, the upper class and those struggling to strive to the top. The play opens at the San Juan Community Theatre June 30 and runs through July 30.

“There’s a lot to be said about power, wealth, class, and ambition in this show. But more than anything, I think ‘Fully Committed’ says a lot about a character earnestly trying to do the right thing, and how they rise to understand their own value,” said Nathan Kessler-Jeffrey, Executive Artistic Director of the theatre and Director of this production.

This play represents the return of the summer shows, according to Kessler-Jeffrey. “It is the first show since I’ve been the Executive Artistic Director at SJCT. While not the first summer show in SJCT’s history, it certainly brings its own challenges in terms of who is available as many of our regular players are working or taking time off throughout the production run. Fortunately, it’s a small (single!) cast show.”

The story follows a struggling actor, Sam, played by Chiara Power, who works at an elite restaurant during the holiday season booking seating for celebrities and wealthy while navigating inter-restaurant issues and trying to make it home for Christmas after her mother passed away. It is the first play written by Becky Mode, who continued on to become a writer, producer and actor.

Kessler-Jeffrey has wanted to direct Fully Committed for over 20 years, he said. “The combination of a truly funny script with a solo performance is an absolute crowd-pleaser. Plus I love the themes of striving for personal dignity that are interwoven throughout the script.”

In what Kessler Jeffrey describes as a comic whirlwind, there are 30 roles and one actor. Power stretches her acting chops with each character, and is left with no downtime the entire production.

“Chiara Power is playing Sam and everyone else and I have been absolutely delighted to work on this process with her!” Kessler-Jeffrey said. “She’s memorizing an entire script, not just the lines of one character, and I think that’s challenging for anyone. Working with her to keep it all straight and make delightful, funny, poignant character choices has been a joy.”

Doing a show set in a restaurant, Kessler-Jeffrey added, has lent itself to a variety of wildly colorful characters, including customers, cooks, waiters, hosts and hostesses. “Each and every one of them has a unique voice and outlook,” he explained.

Sam herself is a character most will relate to.

“The great thing about the way Sam is written is that her struggles are actually about finding her worth and dignity,” Kessler-Jeffrey said. “The desire to feel you are valued is a universal human need to which everyone can relate.”

The recent death of Sam’s mother and her desire to be home with her father for the holiday adds sympathy to her situation.

“There’s a saying in playwrighting that if you want to make something universal, you have to make it specific,” Kessler-Jeffrey said. “I find that even if I’ve never been in the circumstances of a character onstage, the more specific their experience, the easier it is to feel what that would be like for myself.”

There have been multiple versions of this play, dating all the way back to 1995, according to Kessler-Jeffrey. The current version was produced on Broadway in 2016, and as a more recent production, contains updated references to micro gastronomy, celebrities, and more.

“One of my favorite things about the new version is that it removes some problematic racial stereotypes from the original script,” Kesser-Jeffery noted.

“This is one of those shows that is fantastic entertainment with a sprinkle of heart thrown in. I hope [the audience will] walk away having had a great time and ready to spread the word,” Kessler-Jeffery said. “There are wonderful little touches sprinkled throughout the set that if they take some time to look, they’ll really enjoy the details.

Due to the summer schedule at the theatre, he encourages people to call the box office at 360-378-3210 or check the website www.sjctheatre.org for showtimes and tickets.