BWW Reviews: THE AGONY AND THE ECSTASY OF STEVE JOBS at the Seattle Rep

Do we as Americans really know where our stuff comes from?  Do we know who makes it?  That's the central question surrounding Mike Daisey's one man show currently at the Seattle Rep, "The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs".  And while a very funny and scathing look at corporate greed, at times the performance comes across as a little deliberate and repetitive.

Created by Daisey himself and directed by Jean-Michele Gregory, the show follows Daisey's journey through the world of Apple Computers (a self proclaimed obsession of his) and specifically its founder, Steve Jobs.  But beyond the history of Jobs' meteoric rise to power and of the company and products, Daisey juxtaposes that against his investigation and interviews with the people who work in the factories of Shenzhen, China where they actually make things like our iPhones, iPads and such.  And while we may complain about our hard days at work, they're nothing compared to the continuous hell that these people endure.  Daisey shines a spotlight on these deplorable conditions and asks, "How could Apple not know what's going on?" 

But yes, I did also say it was funny.  Daisey's expose on this industry, and in fact many industries beyond Apple, is interwoven with tons of humor as he also exposes our own dependence on these little devices that everyone seems to have these days.

Yes, the show is very funny.  Yes, Daisey is a world class storyteller.  His structure is beyond reproach.  He weaves together these two tales, sidling back and forth between them with ease and agility.  But beyond the funny, beyond the underlying and heartbreaking message, I had three main issues with the production itself.  One, his pattern of delivery.  Throughout the evening Daisey's rhythm never waivers.  He seems to have three speeds; screaming, preparing to scream, and quiet introspection.  And after awhile, that pattern becomes a little wearing.  This brings me to point two, his insistence on telling us what and how to feel.  Personally I'm capable on coming to my own conclusions when given the information but Daisey seems to assume we cannot and punctuates each point at times forcing the emotion down our throats.  Whenever I see shows or performances such as this I always think back to my old Psychology professor who told us that if we ever get one of those relaxation tapes and after the exercises it tells you, "You are now relaxed", throw it away immediately.  No one can tell you how you feel or even assume they know.  So rather than bludgeon us with his emotion, I would have preferred that Daisey presented the information, take us on his journey more and let us come to our own conclusions.

And finally, the language of the piece.  Let me just say, I am not a prude.  I'm all for using harsh language such as the F-bomb when the tone of the piece, the characters involved, or the situation warrants it.  Basically when it lends something to the show.  But Daisey's liberal application of it (especially the aforementioned F-bomb) was just gratuitous and excessive and had nothing to do with the tale he was trying to tell.   Furthermore, I found it interesting that the audience seemed to eat it up.  Some of the same audience who walked out when less frequent and more integral use of the same language was used during the Rep's earlier production of "The Brothers Size" in the very same theater.  I guess when it's used to make us giggle it's OK, but if it's used to convey a character's pain it's not.  OK, I'll step down off my soapbox now and get back to the review.

All in all a very funny and biting indictment of capitalism at its worst from a very gifted storyteller.  But while I know Daisey refers to himself as an Extemporaneous monologist, some of the performance choices could stand to be thought out a little better.

"The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs" performs at the Seattle Repertory Theatre through May 22^nd.  For tickets or information contact the Rep box office at 206-443-2222 or visit them online at www.seattlerep.org.

Photo credit: Kevin Berne

 

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