Scab for Hire

Disjointed

Very disjointed. There are basically 3 distinct sections that don't hold together very well. The first part was kind of silent movie comedy pastiche but very slow, which didn't get the show off to a good start at all. Second part with the podcasters was better, if rather cliche. Third part, with the video element, was the best, but at that point I was already kind of out of the show. Unfortunate :/

A fun idea, just needs a little more work

This show is actually two shows in one - the fist part, clearly inspired by old silent movies to depict the experience of the titular scab, the second a brief drama of a pair of podcasters discussing said scab. I like the first part better, being a fan of silent films, but the performers could benefit from a bit more guidance on clowning to really make those scenes pop. The second part was a miss for me - it has good bones, just not my preference. The film finale, though, brought it back around to the silent film inspiration and left it on a positive note. Overall an interesting core, but the execution needs a little massaging to make it hit.

Funny, Physical and Incredibly Relevant

Thoroughly enjoyed this! The physical comedy was a great tribute to the silent clowning of yesteryear and had me laughing throughout. My favorite part was the contrast between the two podcasters, one genuinely focused on substance while the other was clearly about style and clicks. A clever and very relevant commentary on media today. The pizza party premise also nailed the absurdity of being expected to work as hard as possible while not making a living wage. Funny, physical, thoughtful and relevant. Most definitely worth seeing!

Falls Short

Kind of hard to tell what this was trying to be. It is it a silent film? No, here comes some dialogue. Extended podcast scene went nowhere. More time could have been spent developing the relationship between the Scab and the Opossum. And it was not at all clear that it was an opossum. Highlight was the old-timey film segment. Actor skills were not equal to the tasks at hand. 'A' for effort.

Tonally confused

Started off strong! The silent movie elements were done very well, and I wish it had maintained that energy throughout the show. The inciting conflict is so sudden and brief it had me confused, and the aftermath feels painfully dry and drawn-out. Ended on a nice note, but I can't help but think of the middle section of the play as filler for an otherwise interesting and well-executed show

The Man Always Trying to Bring Us Down

This script is timely and timeless - unfortunately. The production is a reminder that corporate America has no interest in the beauty of friendship or the fragility of mental health be it in modern times or the 1920-30s. Add in a little pizza, some black and white film, an all-too familiar old time song, and a marsupial and you have the makings of a show that makes you smile, ache, and reconsider consumer choices all in 50 minutes.

What would you do?

Would you kill your friend for a paycheck? Even if it was "just an opposum?" This show tells how our modern work environment has degraded our morals. I love the "pizza party" as motivation for work. Throwing tiny perks at employees does not substitute for a quality work environment. Think: What are you being offered for your tiny perk at your job? This show does struggle to fill a large stage with just two actors and no crew. I'd like to see more Chapman and more development of the bond between the two.

There's a Great Idea and a Good Production Hidden

This show is at least three shows in one - and none of them hit a home run except the delightful finishing silent movie bit. The first part, inspired by old silent movies to depict the experience of the titular scab was strong, even if the whole marsupial is your friend idea was weird. But instead of 50 minutes of silent pantomime, the 1930s era was "ruined" by a section with voice-overs and the downright harshness of the employer and the scab's reaction, too. The third, modern section with a pair of self-interested podcasters discussing the scab was rather ugly and showed the 2020 Americans for the shallow, unlearned adults that so many today are. Overall it sounded more interesting than it executed. I will say that the podcasters' choice to discuss a moment of history that was too open to widely-varying speculations, due to a total lack of information is very mindful of those who want to tell us very-biased and un-nuanced historical interpretations all the while lacking the full story of what happened 'back then'. Think of the final hours at the Alamo, or the final day of Amelia Earhart's flight around the world. Or, perhaps what it actually was that the Congress and Senate meant with the 14th Amendment.

Entertaining, interesting, some tonal awkwardness.

The show was trying to make a serious point about scabs and the social phenomenon which cause them. Yet, the slapstick & absurdity felt like it went into too much comical ness for me. Now, to be clear, I say this as someone who believes I have done exactly the same in my drawing out of a character I acted in, in a play. I played 3 different villain type characters in a theater play ("Muyehpen") and during different specific performances, in hindsight, I made these (actually seriously horrible) villains perhaps too comical. The reason for this concern came from how I recalled the audience laughing at parts of the story which maybe "shouldn't" have been appropriate to laugh during (FTR, I get that some people laugh during socially inappropriate times for a wide range of reasons). Maybe that's my own insecurity talking, to be clear. But back to "Scab for Hire": I felt like the tonal awkwardness took away from the message. And making friends with a mouse, while interesting in multiple ways, also could have been fleshed out more. Meanwhile, the after the fact podcast part: it had potential. I do like the range of the actors to do something completely different and embody completely different characters. I also liked its commentary of the sophistry that exists in the podcast & video essay space, cuz that is a frustration of mine, too. The pacing did feel a tad slow though. Overall, I still enjoyed this show. I think it has potential, with improvements.