Beau’s primary character is “The Teacher”, the vessel by which Boleslavky’s acting philosophy is conveyed.  “The Creature,” played by Emily as her primary character, is the subject – the exhibit by which the lessons are demonstrated.  Starting from her first, awkward audition and naive, starry-eyed hope for a chance to shine, we follow the Creature as she slowly develops her inner talents into a successful professional career on the stage.  Both Bridges play several supporting roles.

While the first objective is clearly to present Boleslavky’s explanation of method, this objective is conveyed through the heartwarming evolution of the relationship between mentor and pupil.  The lessons, the arguments, the egos, the personal sacrifice, and the tenderness of a long-standing friendship in the arts grow and blossom between the Teacher and Creature.

The unit set is well-designed, with softer fresnel lighting in the centerstage areas to adjust mood, with a few gobos used to indicate outdoor scenes in a forest or a starry night. Isolated areas, cleanly and flatly lit using warm ellipsoidals down left and right, are fixed around changing screens behind which modesty can be preserved.  They cleverly serve as “actor’s ready rooms” where the audience is given a “backstage” look at the two actors as they switch costumes from scene to scene.

While Beau Bridges’ acting is of course seasoned, powerful, and assured, I actually found myself more rapt at Emily’s absolutely exquisite control over her physical body and her inner self.  Not only does she play multiple roles, but must also convincingly convey the development of the Creature over time; she is acting the part of an actor, which is always a challenge, and in this case it is one that changes significantly in style and skill.  In one scene, the Creature is having trouble with one of Ophelia’s speeches in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the one in which she is spurned by the affected prince of Denmark.  Her initial effort is passable, but after instruction from the Teacher, her second performance is positively riveting… I did not blink once, nor could I remove my eyes from her face throughout the entire monologue.

In a scripted intro spoken directly to the audience, Beau Bridges pulls out a worn copy of “Acting: The First Six Lessons” and describes the personal story of how the book has been handed down through multiple generations of his family.  While the story is interesting and the information discussed certainly contributes background to the Q&A conversation after the show, I felt that it was very out of place as a pre-show.  I would have greatly preferred it if the actors would have jumped right into the story, while still maintaining the casual (and welcome) indifference to the fourth wall that pervades the production.

This, along with a desire to see more of what the Teacher actually learns from the Creature (as opposed to a mainly one-way street), are my only major complaints with what was a very informative and inspiring production.  While I do not personally agree with several aspects of Boleslavky’s philosophy on acting, the majority of the principles expounded in his book (and, consequentially, this play) are pleasing to reflect on and largely applicable to any artistic medium.

“Acting: The First Six Lessons” runs at Theatre West for two more weekends, closing May 16th.  If you are at all associated with the craft of theatre, do yourself a favor and attend one of these last showings.  You will walk away with immediate food for thought on your present endeavors, and likely retain a more long-term shift in perspective for your future artistic efforts.

(And yes, I did immediately order the book from B&N.)