INTERVIEW: ‘Touch’ finishes its run this weekend at The Tank
Photo: Joe Gately and Stacey Scotte star in Touch at The Tank. Photo courtesy of The Tank / Provided by Print Shop PR with permission.
Touch features overlapping storylines that follow various people who have found love, lost love and are open to finding love once again. Among the characters are Betty, described as a widow from New York who is new to online dating, and Bob, a widower who is expecting a visit from his daughter. Another couple in the comedy, a wife and husband, are trying to adjust to life on a fixed income.
The play, written by Lori Goodman and directed by Janice L. Goldberg, is ultimately about finding love and companionship at any age, according to press notes. Performances have been going steady since February, and the run at New York City’s The Tank finishes Sunday, March 16.
Recently Hollywood Soapbox exchanged emails with two of the performers in the piece: Stacey Scotte and Joe Gately. Questions and answers have been slightly edited for style.
How have performances been going? How have audiences been responding?
SCOTTE: The performances have been going quite well, I’d say; for the most part, we’ve had full houses, and the response has been very positive overall — lots of laughter and people resonating with the deeper themes of the piece.
GATELY: Going very well, the audiences seem to really be enjoying the play. They’re laughing and seem to be genuinely moved by it.
How would you describe your character? How do you approach them?
SCOTTE: I play two characters. One is a long-suffering wife of a stingy husband; the other is a free spirit enjoying her sexuality in her sunset years.
GATELY: The three characters I play are mainly comic relief, which is not to say that I don’t make them real and grounded. Listening to the actors and timing are how I approach them.
Do you feel that there’s enough theater that focuses on love at an older age?
SCOTTE: Absolutely not. There is a growing older population, and we’re more than just doting grandparents and wise sages, or codgers and crones. As a society it behooves us to learn to embrace aging as a positive stage in life, and recognize, especially as people are living longer, that older people, too, have needs and desires for emotional and physical connection and companionship.
GATELY: Not sure other than to mention seeing and very much enjoying The Roommate on Broadway, which has two “older” characters.
What do you like about Lori Goodman’s words?
SCOTTE: I immediately fell in love with this play when I first read it. There’s a wonderful balance of humor and poignancy. I love that the plotline isn’t predictable. When a script is easy to memorize, you know it is well written; Lori writes dialogue the way people speak, with the added dash of rhythm and banter reminiscent of Neil Simon.
GATELY: Her dialogue is very natural and funny. And I loved thinking, when I first read it, that I knew where the play was going and then was pleasantly surprised that it didn’t go that way, and how everything happened organically.
What’s it like working with director Janice L. Goldberg?
SCOTTE: When I met Janice, I felt an instant rapport with her. I love her energy and directness; she’s sharp and quick, and I’ve found her direction and adjustments insightful.
GATELY: Janice who? Just kidding. Janice is great to work with. She knows what she wants and is very good about explaining it, and also is very open to collaboration. She’s always saying, “Yes, and.”
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Touch, featuring Stacey Scotte and Joe Gately, continues until Sunday, March 16, at The Tank in New York City. Click here for more information and tickets.
