UPDATE:
The production of "The Duck Variations" at Scene One Theatre has been postponed until later in the year.
An update on the theater's Facebook page noted the decision was made due to an increase in COVID-19 cases.
Dates for the rescheduled performance have yet to be determined.
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EARLIER COVERAGE:
Two men sit on a park bench talking about ducks. But it's so much more than that -- right?
Scene One Theatre presents "The Duck Variations," starring Mark Wegman and Alan Bailey, 7:30 p.m. Jan. 27-29 and Feb. 3-5 at 623 Ohio St. Tickets are $15.
Co-director Wegman was looking for a two- actor play to perform at the end of January when an unexpected 1972 play popped up. He had heard of David Mamet's other acclaimed works, but this was a new one. It fits well into the "reader's theater" style of plays the theater wants to start doing each January, where actors read from the script, focusing more on the lines and delivery versus movement.
There is definitely not much movement in the play: It features two elderly men sitting on a bench, trading misinformation while observing the movement of ducks in the park. The plot moves in interesting directions -- through its 14 short scenes, there are life lessons about law, friendship, death and more. In the script, Mamet calls each short scene a "variation" and features an intermission in between.
Appropriate for a play about two old friends, Wegman chose to call up an old theater pal to fill the second role. Bailey has been involved in Little Theatre of Jefferson City and Scene One, and he has acted alongside and under direction of Wegman in past productions. Wegman remembers performing the "Archives Alive" show at the Missouri State Archives with Bailey, bantering back and forth about state history. Having worked with him and developed that rapport, Wegman calls this role "an honor."
"He's someone I've looked up to, a theater mentor to me in many ways," Wegman said. "He said 'yes' and the timing was right."
Bailey said their time working together in the past contributes to the joys of a two-person show.
"You're developing the relationship between these characters, but also, the friendship the two of us have becomes even deeper," he said.
Once the two started rehearsing, the characters they played started to come to life, Wegman said. Mamet's show doesn't give much context about these men, so it took Wegman and Bailey rehearsing their lines to gain a deeper understanding. There were even emotional moments.
"At the end of the scene that ends act one, there was a little bit of emotion coming out of the two of us. ... These two men are pondering these themes, that no man is an island, that no one can live alone, we need others to be with us," Wegman said. "Practicing over and over, you just find the right delivery."
Bailey, who is a pastor at First Christian Church in California, sees some deeper themes in the play as well -- whether the playwright intends it or not, he said, those theological conversations are resting just under the surface.
"The issues of mortality, making meaning of life, those are theological issues I think both of these characters are verbalizing," Bailey said. "You'll be laughing, then stop and think about (the deeper meaning). Like, 'That's hilarious -- oh, wait a minute.'"
Bailey hopes by the end of the play, the work he and Wegman have done will help the audience understand the characters better. Behind the themes, there are unlikely teachers.
"We humans, who make our lives so difficult, could learn a lot from ducks," Wegman said.
Email [email protected] to reserve tickets to the show or call 573-635-6713 for questions. Tickets can also be purchased at the door -- the theater is accepting cash or checks. It is recommended guests wear masks while mingling, then can take them off while watching the show. Seating will be spaced for social distancing, and hand sanitizer can be found throughout the building.
This story was updated at 10:30 a.m. Jan. 25, 2022, to make note of the show's postponement.