“Philip Goes Forth” is brought to life after 82 years of neglection. This play is comical, yet serious; sad, yet heartwarming. “Philip Goes Forth” is an off-Broadway show about a young man, Philip, who has no intention of becoming a part of his father’s business. Philip’s relationship with his father hits rock bottom. In order to get away, Philip (Bernardo Cubria), quits his position in his father’s workplace, and pursues his dream of becoming a playwright in New York City. Philip keeps in touch with his aunt Mrs. Randolph (Christine Toy Johnson), her friend Mrs. Oliver (Carole Healey), and her friend’s daughter (Natalie Kuhn) whom Philip has an intimate relationship with. Philip works a sales job by day to pay for his living space, which is owned by Mrs. Ferris (Kathryn Kates) and writes plays on the typewriter by night. Slowly, Philip’s concentration on his playwriting shifts as he gets more involved in his day job. Philip loses sight of the reason why he is in New York City, soon to return to the one aspect he tried to get away from, business. Although Philip moved to New York City against his father’s wishing to prove his point, Philip ended up proving that the business world is right for him, not the arts world. Philip rekindles his relationship with his father (Cliff Bemis) and plans to move back home, five hundred miles away from the Big Apple.
“Philip Goes Forth” has three acts and one intermission. The first act begins in an upstairs room in Mrs. Randolph’s house on a bright afternoon day in May. This room is mostly all white and contains few accessories. There are clear glass jars on top of the coffee table that is in the middle of the stage. The focal point in this room is the fire place behind the coffee table. In order for the crew of the production team to switch locations, a fifteen intermission is placed. The second act and third act take place in the lobby of the apartment building that Philip is staying at six months later. The walls are teal colored and there is a lot of artwork hanging on the walls, surrounding a bookshelf. A wooden piano stands on one side of the wall across from the door. To the left of the door, there is a common desk available for all of the tenants to use.
Two performers that stand out over the rest of the cast are Bernardo Cubria and Cliff Bemis. Cubria engages the audience in his point of view and conveys his ambition of wanting to go to New York and pursuing his playwright career. Cubria also shows Philip’s novel love for Cynthia through his tone of voice whenever speaking of or to her, along with his gestures. Bemis acts as the father figure towards Philip by reacting and talking to Philip like any parent would. The play ends with Philip and Mr. Eldridge talking out their differences, and I believe that the chemistry between these two actors could not have ended the play any better. This scene in the third act shows the connection between a father and his son that some of us may experience in the future or have experienced in the past.
This phenomenon play is written by George Kelly and directed by Jerry Ruiz. During Kelly’s time in New York, he wrote a total of ten completed plays, starring middle-class families, satire, and fantasy. Kelly is one of the younger siblings out of ten children, and has won a Pulitzer Prize for one of his works. “Philip Goes Forth” is the second production that Jerry Ruiz was worked on in the Mint Theater.
“Philip Goes Forth” is currently performed in the Mint Theater and will be in production from September 22, 2013 to October 27, 2013. The Mint Theater, located near Times Square (311 West 43rd Street), is composed of many floors, each floor containing one stage. The room has only one seating arrangement, ten rows and ten columns. I personally like the small size of most Off-Broadway shows because the whole audience can see the actors up close for a decent price, unlike Broadway shows where the people not in the orchestra section have to squint and maneuver their way around other people’s heads. The way the room is set up allows the audience to be part of the show and experience it, rather than just watch it.
The Mint Theater’s goal is to bring back forgotten plays into production, adding a modern twist to the complete work. The Mint Theater also hands out books of the works founded to libraries, universities, and any other place that is interested in lost art, free of charge. This not-for-profit theater company has many supporters that are contributing as much as $10,000.
The intention of the event is to show the audience that opportunities are unexpected and may not come in the form one wants it to come in. Philip learns about himself through the process of trying to escape from his father. Although this play is based on the time period of the Great Depression, I believe that the lessons in this play can be applied today. I can connect with this play more because I am a student who, like Philip, wants to explore other areas of study rather than to be tied to one aspect. This play taught me to keep an open mind and that it is okay to take classes that interest me, but to not lose sight of what might become the field that I major in.
