WAITING AND WAITING: (L-R) Gabe Belyeu, Alice Oh, and Adam Bedri in Gao XingJian’s “The Bus Stop.” Gao Xingjian was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2000 and is one of China’s best known dissidents. The play can be seen as a metaphor for Chinese people, waiting to go somewhere that the communist regime promises to take them but never delivers. (Ho Chang)
The work is presented by Theatre HAN LLC and has been translated by Shiao-Ling Yu.
The action takes place at a seemingly isolated bus stop in the suburb of a major
city—said location distinguished only by a railing at which the passengers congregate, and a faded sign. One by one various people appear and, in what is for most of them a timeworn ritual, stand there waiting for the bus. And waiting. And waiting. And waiting.
It soon becomes apparent that something is not as it should be. The bus, while usually late and overcrowded (it's better to get on at the beginning of the line in order to get a seat), does not seem to be running. Later, when buses do start to appear, they pass by without stopping, despite people shouting, waving, and even attempting to block the vehicles with their bodies.
The group eventually realizes that if they are going to get to the city (everyone's ultimate destination), they are going to have to take matters into their own hands and start walking. But despite the various complaints about the system and threats to sue the company (this by Director Ma (Jamie Grayson), a country official with a bit of an inflated ego), they all remain where they are, as if each is afraid to take the initiative—that is, except for the Silent Man (Pedro Rodriguez), who starts off by himself without a word to anybody.
The main point in the story is the importance of people being able to act for themselves and not simply waiting around to be led to their destination like a flock of sheep. This message may have been one of the reasons the play was condemned as "spiritual pollution" by Communist Party officials when it first opened in Beijing 26 years ago. (The playwright left China in 1987 and settled in Paris a year later as a political refugee).
Other things officials might not have liked deal with the characters' contempt for the system. In addition to the various complaints about the bus line, there is a Mother (Betsy Sanders), who works in the area, traveling into the city to see her husband and child. While she would love to be transferred to the city, she notes bitterly it takes connections for that to happen, something she apparently does not have. In addition, while the young people talk about how good the city is, the older folks often think otherwise. Among those waiting for the bus are: a Girl (Alice Oh) going to the city for a date; a Hothead (Adam Bedri) traveling there to get his first taste of yogurt; a nerdy-type known as Glasses (Gabe Belyeu); a Carpenter (Hank H. Kim); and an Old Man (Joe Albert Lima).
It's also interesting to note how the people around the bus stop quickly become a little collective unto themselves, with some trying to help others out, like Mother offering comfort to the Girl when the latter thinks she will miss the bus; while others simply take delight in causing trouble—such as Hothead, who continually tries to jump the line to be first on board the bus. Yet when things get rough, as when a blinding rainstorm strikes, the group bands together and works as a unit.
Samantha Shechtman's direction works well, keeping the story moving nicely and bringing forth the nuances in the text that allows the audience to get to know what drives the characters. From Hothead who is secretly looking for direction, to Director Ma who is terribly lonely, Mr. Gao has created an interesting cross section of people, each of whom has his own story to tell.
The cast works quite well together and the play is a good example of an ensemble piece with each performance contributing to the greater whole of the work. Among the standouts are Bedri, Grayson, and Lima; the first two characters undergoing major changes in attitude as the play progresses, and the latter keeping his dignity and serenity despite the challenges of age. Also deserving mention is Sanders as the Mother, a woman beaten down by life.
Set design by Shechtman, presenting the play as a theater-in-the-round piece, is very good, as is the lighting by Al Roundtree, and music/sound design by Belyeu and Shechtman.
"The Bus Stop" is a gentle, yet powerful reminder about the dangers of waiting for someone else to make the first move because, as made clear at the climax of the play, one only has oneself to blame for the results.
The Bus Stop
Presented by Theatre HAN LLC
Sanford Meisner Theatre
164 Eleventh Avenue
Tickets: 212-352-3101
Information: www.theatrehan.com
Closes: April 19
Running Time: Approximately one hour
Judd Hollander is the New York Correspondent for the London publication The Stage.
