Buyer & Cellar at Mark Taper Forum

Sandra Miska

If you love a good comedy, particularly one that takes you into the private, absurd world of a mega-wealthy celebrity, be sure to check out Buyer & Cellar at the Mark Taper Forum this month in Downtown Los Angeles. Ever wonder what it would be like to work in a celebrity’s private shopping mall? Playwright Jonathan Tolins sure did after he read Barbra’s Streisand’s book My Passion For Design in which the legendary singer/actress discusses the building of her Malibu dream house, including a private shopping mall in her basement.

“Staring at Barbra’s faux mall, I made a joke: ‘How’d you like to be the guy who has to work down there?’ Something about the notion stuck,” said Tolins in an article he wrote for The New York Times called “Shopping for Ideas in a Star’s Basement.”

The one-man play Buyer & Cellar tells the story of that lucky guy (a struggling Hollywood actor of course) who gets to work in what Tolins refers to as an “elaborate pretend environment.” Although the location is real, everything that happens in the play is a product of Tolins’ imagination. Actor Michael Urie, who met Tolins while both were working on the short-lived CBS sitcom Partners (Urie was the one of the leads and Tolins was a staff writer), has the daunting task of playing all seven characters in Buyer & Cellar, including protagonist Alex More and Babs herself.

“I’ve always found Barbra Streisand a fun character because she’s a combination of a megastar and my [Jewish] mother,” Tolins told the The Jewish Journal. Although he met Streisand 20 years ago at a performance of his play “The Twilight of the Golds” and found her to be gracious, Tolins has yet to hear from Barbra (or her lawyers) regarding Buyer and Cellar.

Don’t expect the play to be a scathing mockery of Streisand. Tolins says he has received positive feedback from the “Funny Girl” star’s friends. In the NYT piece, he addresses Streisand directly, saying, “…thank you for inspiring Buyer & Cellar and for your sense of humor. People love you in the play, and many of them go home and order copies of your book.”

Urie, who originated the role, explained to Slant Magazine the difference between carrying a one-man show and acting in an ensemble: “The rehearsal process was very challenging. Because when you’re in a play with other people, no matter how big your role, there’s time to think while the other people are talking, or when you are off-stage. In this, literally, they couldn’t rehearse anything without me. Whenever I had a break, I needed to lay down on the floor and actually take a break.”

Urie’s previous acting credits include a regular role on Ugly Betty and guest spots on The Good Wife and Hot in Cleveland.

Buyer & Cellar is showing at the Mark Taper Forum Tuesday-Sunday through August 17.