HOW DO YOU DEFINE SUCCESS? POWER, FAMILY, WEALTH AND/OR A HAPPY HOME? THE CHINESE LIFE FORCE, A New Play by Michael McGoldrick Tackles This Question Over A Popular Game

By Kristopher Karcher

            There are a few no-fail ways to ruin a relationship, whether romantic or otherwise. Number one, of course is a lost of trust. Cheating or lying is a big no-no in building and keeping a friendship or romantic endeavor. A second is jealousy. Do not envy your friends, it’s unhealthy and doesn't help you or your friend grow.  These two seem like to involve the littlest of common sense. But, there is one everyone always seems to forget: If you know what is good for you and your relationship, never play games like Monopoly or Scrabble. Games like these are designed to start wars. Remember World War I? I know the history books mention something about the first World War being sparked by the murder of some Duke, but I’m pretty sure some world leader in Serbia used all seven letters and Emperor Franz Joseph just had enough. In my family games of scrabble, we go by one dictionary, and it bears years of tatters and tears from trying to prove the plural of “Octopus.” Competition brings out the worst in all of us, but sometimes you have to wonder, are you really fighting about the usage of the word “twerk” and its derivatives, or are you fighting about something else entirely? Losing a game is a big bruise to the ego, especially when you’re losing to someone who already has it all. 

            Thus is the dilemma of Gary in The Chinese Life Force by Michael McGoldrick, which will be performed in the Riant Theatre’s Strawberry One-Act Festival on February 13^th at 9pm & February 14^th at 3pm at the Hudson Guild Theatre, 441 West 26^th Street, NYC. Tensions run high as Nat, his friend from college constantly undermines him in both word scores and world experience. Gary lives a very plain but content life. He’s got a wife and kids and a basic cookie-cutter job with room to move up. Nat, on the other hand, has the more “exciting life.” He makes tons of money and is in a different city every weekend, and with that, has a different woman. Nat says Gary has missed out on so many opportunities by settling down and just wants him to see the world his way, while putting down E-S-P-R-I-T for 40 points. Gary fights back trying to explain to him that he’s happy and doesn't need the same success Nat has, while putting down an unconvincing T-A-M-E for a meager nine. The competition puts their friendship on the rocks.

            But what defines success? Who are we to say that a family at home isn't just as successful as wealth and an exciting career? What, in our lifetime, is valued more? And what does that say about our society? Success is very relative. As a Theatre and English major, my salary once I leave college will most likely be much lower than my peers in Computer Science, but does that make me less successful? Because I’m doing something that is fulfilling in my mind but maybe not as much in my wallet? I think a lot of people grapple with this their entire lives. Very few can have it all. We’re all jealous of someone. But maybe it’s important to really look at our lives and decide what will make US happy. And do that. If that’s a wife and kids, go ahead. If it’s to be single, you do you. You wanna be a nun? Get it girl. But god forbid, do not play Scrabble with the ones you care for most.  

The Strawberry One-Act Festival

February 11^th – February 22, 2015
At the Hudson Guild Theatre
441 West 26^th Street, NYC
For tickets click here.
Box Office:  646-623-3488
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SERIES D – February 13^th at 9pm & February 14^th at 3pm

THE CHINESE LIFE FORCE by Michael McGoldrick
When two old friends meet to catch up on each other’s lives, old rivalries rise to the surface.

SO, SO I AM NORMAL By Rick Charles Mueller
What is normal?  I think and live and may be different – but, so – so normal – like you!

FIXATION By Anthony Fusco
How well do you know your roommate?  A psychological thriller.

THE RULES By Isobel Mahon
The girl who played by her guys rules no matter what.

And Baby Makes Three: Breaking The Stigma of Tourettes and other Mental Disabilities

By Kristopher Karcher

      

     And Baby Makes Three, a play by Rick Charles Mueller, deals with a brilliant young boy with a lot holding him back. Zachary has Tourettes. And although he’s a 16 year old student at Columbia University, his disorder has certainly been a setback. Zachary has trouble with social interaction and especially with relating to people his own age. Mueller, in his brilliant new play, tries to break the stigma of Tourettes and other mental disabilities, but has also identified why there is such a stigma. People like Zachary are different. And kids don’t like people who are different. They either feel uncomfortable around them or worse, exploit them. This doesn’t make social interaction or making friends easy for anyone.

     As a writer, I find it is important to be honest with my readers, so to put it shortly: I was also a “different kid.” Around age seven I was diagnosed with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, an anxiety disorder that eschews messages in the brain and, on the most basic level, makes you worry. These “worries” can usually only be conquered through “rituals.” Normal rituals include counting to certain numbers, walking a certain way, or excessive cleanliness. OCD affects about 1% of the population, but some cases are more severe than others. Unfortunately, mine was pretty severe, which made me stick out like a sore thumb. Whether I was holding in saliva (I thought it was poisonous), not eating my lunch (also poisonous), or wearing the same outfit everyday (you guessed it, I thought most of myclothes were contaminated), I wasn’t normal.

Rick Charles Mueller

      Though our mental disorders are quite different, I relate heavily with Zachary. We both had to go through it alone on the friendship front because no one seemed to want to hang around us. Luckily, for both of us, we had incredibly supportive parents, and they helped us get through the tough times and we both came out as highly functional human beings. (Well Zachary is highly functional; most of my life at college is binge watching Netflix.) Zachary’s tale is a tale of overcoming his disorder while being constantly reminded how different he is. And that kind of stuff takes its toll. Luckily, he, as did I, overcame both obstacles and became mature adults because of it.

      
     Listen to Kristopher's interview with Rick Charles Mueller, playwright of AND BABY MAKES THREE, which will be performed in the Riant's Theatre's Strawberry One-Act Festival on Saturday, August 23, 2014 at 3pm at the Theatre at St. Clement's, 423 West 46th Street, NYC.  For tickets go to www.therianttheatre.com

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