"I think a great director is like a great conductor of an orchestra."
Rob Ruggiero
WNPR's Diane Orson sat down with Rob Ruggiero, the director of “Good People,” to discuss the play and his approach to directing. “Good People” runs May 22 to June 28 at TheaterWorks in Hartford. The following has been lightly edited for clarity.
Rob Ruggerio: Besides the plot, it’s a great plot, kind of an example of survival and struggle between classes. Margie Walsh, or "Maahgie" as we say with a Boston dialect, is really struggling to survive, and she reaches back in her past and all of these, of course, interesting, funny, moving, powerful things kind of come out. "Good people" is a term that they use in Southie, like, you know, "He’s good people." I think that David Lindsay-Abaire, the playwright, writes like people speak, and how these two worlds speak is even really specific.
WNPR's Diane Orson: Talk to me a little bit about these two worlds.
Well, you have the world of Southie -- he grew up there; he grew up in south Boston. This is the world where people work in the dollar store, and do the check-cashing places, and struggle to meet next month's rent, and it’s a rough, relatively poor community.
The essence is one of these people, Mikey Dylan, has gotten out of this community. He’s now a very fancy, very rich doctor who lives in Chestnut Hill with his educated, affluent wife. Primarily, the first act is the world of Southie.
But in the second act, Margie goes to the other world. She goes to Chestnut Hill. And to see her live and interact in Mikey’s world now is quite interesting.
I think that the play has so many interesting levels. It deals with class; it deals with luck. Are some people luckier than others? Are we responsible for our choices? When emotions heat up, he says, well, you made your choices. That’s another thing when you leave, you think about: if I had done this, where would I be now? If I had not done that, would I be here?
Don’t we all struggle, to some extent, with the tension between the world of our youth -- whatever that is -- and the people we become and have created for ourselves by those choices?
Absolutely. You know, one of the most interesting parts right near the end, Margie is talking to Mike, and she said, don’t you think you were lucky? Had this not happened -- I won't say what it is -- had this not happened, you could not be here right now? Don’t you think you’re lucky? And he said no, he doesn't think so. And she says -- I love this --“Well, all of this is wasted on you.”
What do you think is your role as director when you approach a play like this?
I think my role first off is to cast great actors. I have a reputation for, both at TheaterWorks, at Goodspeed where I work, and all over the country, really, of being particular with my casting. I think that if I get the right talent and the right combination of talent in the room, it’s going to make my job easier. I think people think directors tell actors what to do -- that is the least interesting part to me, I have very little interest in telling people where to go, and what to do, and where to stand. I would much rather collaborate with great artists, designers, actors and together create something.
I think a great director is like a great conductor of an orchestra. You put together all of these great, different, very talented people and someone has to have a vision, someone has to captain the ship. But the choices you make are interactive. I think what I try to do as a director, be it of a play or a musical, is to work with the actors to create a really concrete structure in which they can live this story out every night, with always a little bit of latitude. To me, theater is an alive piece of art.
What do you hope audiences will take away from this show?
I hope audiences will take away with them an understanding of life's struggle and choice and luck, and really reflect on what is a good person.
Nicole Wetsman contributed to this report.
