WHAT happens when two completely incompatible men spend one day together every week? Repertory Philippines shows what in Visiting Mr. Green, a two-act comedy directed by Zenaida Amador.
Mr. Green (Miguel Faustman), a 70-year-old retired dry cleaner, is almost hit by a car driven by Ross Gardiner (Michael Williams), a 29-year-old corporate executive. Consequently, Gardiner is charged with reckless driving and sentenced to community service by visiting and helping Mr. Green on his apartment every Thursday for six months.
Gardiner’s first visit to Mr. Green results in countless arguments. Gardiner insists that the sentence is unjust because his car did not even touch Mr. Green, and the latter boasts that he doesn’t need Gardiner because he can take care of himself despite his old age.
One evening, Gardiner buys soup for Mr. Green from his favorite restaurant. The act changes everything.
Mr. Green, unlike before, now looks forward to Gardiner’s visits. In no time, they become very good friends and fall into assumption that they know everything about each other already.
However, the problem is far from over when both surprise each other with their “dark” secrets.
Visiting Mr. Green is well-staged. The setting, the apartment of Mr. Green, was used to show the transition of Mr. Green and Gardiner’s relationship. At first it is a clutter. Later, it assumes a cozy, homely ambiance.
Williams’ acting is monotonous. Faustman, however, is effective in his realistic portrayal of the old Mr. Green, with his shaking hand and trembling voice.
The endless arguments of Mr. Green and Gardiner about everything seem redundant. But they highlight the fact that these men are markedly different from each other.
The play provides a good blend of surprises, reality, and incidents that everybody can relate to. Jhervy C. Nuez
