RI actor is ‘Fully Committed’
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By David Burke | Friday, January 18, 2008 |
Many actors struggle and work hard to get one role.
Eddie Staver III has more than 35.
As the entire cast of “Fully Committed,” which opens next weekend at the Green Room Theatre in Rock Island, he plays an out-of-work actor who answers the telephone and takes reservations at a trendy Manhattan restaurant. He has to become, by turns, a Mafia boss, a Wall Street tycoon, an innocent tourist, a rich old lady, a supermodel, kitchen staffers and an egomaniacal celebrity chef.
“It’s very tough stuff,” Staver said of juggling about three dozen different personalities. “It’s very technical and takes a lot of work.”
His biggest concern wasn’t learning his lines or creating the characters. Rather, it was simply being able to play comedy. As a theater student at Illinois State University, he appeared in several different productions, but all of them were dramas.
“You’re there expecting people to laugh,” he said. “If they don’t like you, you’ll know right away.”
Staver, 25, grew up in Rock Island and spent his high school years in Streator, Ill., before going to Illinois State. He has been in the Green Room’s “Carousel” and “The Glass Menagerie” since returning to the Quad-Cities. He’s also been cast in two upcoming productions by the Prenzie Players.
Derek Bertelsen, co-founder of the Green Room and the director of “Fully Committed,” said he knew Staver could pull off the multiple roles.
“I wanted to find an actor who was versatile both vocally and physically,” he said.
Staver accomplishes the changes with neither wigs nor costumes and only a limited number of props.
Bertelsen said pulling off a one-man show in any situation is difficult, much less playing dozens of characters.
“Usually in a show, you’ve got time to think from one line to the next,” he said. “But this show is kind of crazy.”
Staver said one of Bertelsen’s directing tasks is making sure that none of his characters has a sound or stage presence that is similar to another.
“It’s pretty much having a lot of faith in Derek, and him in me,” he added.
David Burke can be contacted at (563) 383-2400 or dburke@qctimes.com. Comment on this story at qctimes.com.
IF YOU GO
What: “Fully Committed”
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday, Jan. 25-26; 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 27
Where: Green Room Theatre, 1611 2nd Ave., Rock Island
How much: $10
Information: (309) 786-5660 or thegreenroomtheatre.com on the Web
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