For The Best, playing at the Melville Main Hall, is a heartbreaking, yet relatable piece of verbatim theatre created by Jeffrey Jay Fowler, Mark Storen, and Georgia King. The show focuses on friendships from the community that have fallen apart in one way or another. From the minute the show began, I knew that it would be relatable in more ways than one and really had me thinking about who my close friends are. The set is simple with three performers sitting at the front of the theater, with only music stands for their scripts and microphones, which allows you to focus on the stories. A handful of chairs were lined up on either side of the performers with the musician, Luke Dux, amongst them. Soft live music compliments the stories but isn’t overpowering and the lighting is simple but effective. The house lights never fully go out. From the minute you sit down, you feel as though you are a part of the show, that you are listening to a friend. We are asked to think of a friend we no longer know.
The performers, Mark Storen, Georgia King, and Alexandra Nell do a fantastic job embodying different characters convincingly. If you were to close your eyes, you wouldn’t realize that there were only three performers. Their tones offer humor when necessary that had the audience chuckling. The stronger lines are said in sync by the performers, reflecting how well the stories have been rehearsed. You begin to feel even closer to the performers when they tell their own personal stories of betrayal and lost friendships. During the intense parts of the stories, the music intensifies with the performers’ words. The stories are little heartaches that will make you feel for the people they belong to.
It is also made clear of how much research went into collecting the stories. It was said that in a lifetime, a person has 150 stable relationships but only three to five close relationships. Interviews were held at the Melville Library and a trend was quickly set: Women were more clearly confident with their stories, like they had told their story multiple times while men sometimes hadn’t realized that a friendship had ended until they sat down and thought about it. After the show, we were invited to the foyer, where the performers would collect stories for the following performance.
This show will truly make you think about who your close friends are. It is a profound and thought provoking piece of theatre that will leave you thinking about your own friendships and relationships. This is a story that stays with you long after you leave the venue.
To book tickets to For The Best, please visit https://www.thelastgreathunt.com/.
