Buyer & Cellar is unique, bizarre and entertaining
Listen to this articleFrom the moment he began to speak to the audience as he moved slowly but deliberately to the stage Emmy Award winning actor Jai Rodriguez in character as Alex More made inescapably and abundantly clear that this was no ordinary one-person show. He grabbed and held the audience like an unbreakable vice with his wit and humor. The story was ostensibly far more real than fiction and tells of one aspect of mega star Barbra Streisand and her private shopping mall beneath her Malibu mansion.
Struggling actor Alex takes the rather bizarre job of managing Bab’s very private mall that allows access to almost no one except him and Barbra. As the tale unfolds the audience gets rare and fascinating insights into some of the more intriguing private elements that more fully define the hyper celebrity of Ms. Streisand and her most unusual relationship with the young actor Alex. The story is inspired in large part by the book “My Passion for Design” written by Barbra Streisand.
Frankly I am always skeptical of one person shows as they most often don’t end so much as they just fade away but not this show. Jai Rodriguez takes the audience on a spell binding journey packed with always changing situations and emotions and revelations from word one to the end of the show some hour and half later. “Buyer & Cellar” is absolutely unique and compelling theatre at its finest. I will also add for any who may not have yet visited the Falcon Theatre in Burbank, California it is one magnificent venue; a virtual shrine to local theatre and a large slice of history spearhead by the late great Garry Marshall.
Enjoy the venue and love the show, “Buyer & Cellar” runs now through November 6th at the Falcon Theatre, 4252 Riverside Drive, Burbank, California. Show times are Wednesdays through Saturdays at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday matinees at 4:00 p.m. Ticketing and reservations are available either online or by calling 818-955-8101.
Photos of Jai Rodriguez by Sasha Vernola
Ron Irwin was born in Chicago, Illinois a long time ago. He served in the Marine Corps in Vietnam, became a trial lawyer, TV and radio host, CEO of a public company and once held an Emmy. He never won an Emmy he just held one. Ron has written and published twelve books. His most important book to date is “Live, Die, Live Again” in which Ron tells of his early life and his unexpected and very temporary death in 2012. That experience dramatically refocused his life and within the pages of that book Ron reveals how he achieved a much healthier life, ridding himself of Diabetes, Cancer and Heart Failure. Now Ron enjoys writing about many things including health topics, travel [he has circled the globe several times], adventure, culinary experiences and the world of performing art. Ron’s motto is “Live better, live longer and live stronger because it feels great and annoys others.” Contact the author.
