Inside Hurlyburly: The Controlled Chaos of David Rabe’s Hollywood PlayBy Bill Snyder | WSKG Arts in Depth
In the latest production by Binghamton’s Know Theatre, David Rabe’s Hurlyburly pulls back the curtain on 1980s Hollywood excess, friendship, and dysfunction, and the actors say it’s a wild ride.
Actors Vito Longo (Eddie) and Joe Hoffman (Mickey) recently talked about the play’s dark humor, rapid-fire dialogue, and the emotional rollercoaster of their characters.
The title Hurlyburly itself is a nod to Shakespeare’s Macbeth, whether intentionally or not. “Macbeth definitely has a lot of references in the script,” Hoffman said. “I was reading an interview with the playwright David Rabe, and he claims not to have known that that word was in [Macbeth] when he wrote it into the dialogue, which I found very interesting.”
The word captures the play’s tone perfectly. As Longo described it: “I’ve kind of been using the term cocaine-fueled Shakespeare… It’s just kind of a mess, [a] complete breakdown of the situation.”
That chaotic energy is balanced by a deeply structured rehearsal process. “Our rehearsal process was probably twice as long as the average community theater rehearsal process,” Longo said. “We did a lot of table reading, which gave us a chance to really digest what everything meant and give us a little head start on retention.”
At its core, Hurlyburly explores broken relationships and inner turmoil through a group of Hollywood casting directors.
Longo’s character, Eddie, is caught in a destructive cycle. “There’s not a drug on the planet he’s not abusing. He’s a womanizer,” he said. “He’ll do something as a form of medication, whether it’s drugs, or women, or even putting people down, and then he’ll feel some shame, and that requires him to medicate with another one of these things. It’s this constant spiral.”
Meanwhile, Mickey, played by Hoffman, is trying to stay afloat. “Mickey has recently separated from his wife, and he moves in with Eddie. It seems to be very convenient until differences in their personalities, and Eddie’s escalating drug use, throw more conflict into the mix.”
The fast, overlapping dialogue can feel overwhelming, but the actors anchor themselves in their characters’ needs. “As long as all of us as actors know what our characters want and what they’re trying to do, then it’s like a controlled chaos,” Longo explained.
“I enjoy the challenge of it,” Hoffman said. “The dialog is really clever. It’s challenging for a good reason.”
For Longo, tackling Eddie was both daunting and thrilling. “If I take something on [as demanding as this role is], then I know that it’s going to force me to grow,” he said.
Know Theatre presents Hurlyburly June 13 through 29, with Friday and Saturday shows at 8 p.m. and Sunday matinees at 3 p.m., at 74 Carroll Street in Binghamton. Know Theatre also offers a Pay What You Can night on Thursday, June 19.
For tickets and more information, visit knowtheatre.org.