review - THE WHITE CHIP virtual reading - Arizona Theatre Company

by Gil Benbrook

Sean Daniels has been very clear about his struggles with alcohol addiction. When I interviewed him last summer, after he'd taken over as Arizona Theatre Company's Artistic Director, it was also when his play The White Chip was about to start rehearsals for its Off Broadway run. That play, which Daniels said he wrote when he was in the thick of recovery because he couldn't "find something that felt current and had a sense of humor that wasn’t religion based," is a well crafted and fast paced comedy drama that dives deep into the struggles of alcoholism. 

This past Monday, the original Off Broadway cast under Sheryl Kaller's sharp direction presented a well acted online reading of the piece that works incredibly well as a virtual production. The reading is available online for free through Friday at this link and is also a benefit for Arizona Theatre Company and The VOICES Project.

The white chip is what Alcoholics Anonymous gives to someone who simply has the desire to stop drinking. In Daniels' semi-autobiographical play it's what the main character Steven finds himself continually receiving since he can't seem to find a way to stick to not drinking. 

Steven had his first drink at 12 years old on the day of his Mormon baptism.While he said the first sip tasted horrible, it began a life long journey of using alcohol as a way to face life's problems. Through Daniel's humorous script we see that Steven had his share of teenage angst in high school where he was voted the "most likely to exceed", and that he also had a few accidents where alcohol was involved and he was also charged with a first degree felony after he and a friend fell asleep on a boat when they were too drunk to go home. We also witness Steven's time at a Mormon summer camp which concludes with them staging a musical at the end because, "you know, that's what you do!" In college, he came to the conclusion that "I can't have a drinking problem, because if I'm an alcoholic then everyone around me is an alcoholic."  

Like Daniels' actual life, Steven's wild ride through life includes starting a theatre company in Atlanta where they have "rum throughs" instead of "run throughs" where they drink and smoke anything the characters do that they are playing. "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Now I know. It's my liver after that rehearsal." 

While he's always aware of his excess drinking, he starts to wonder "what if I'm nothing without it?" He also falls into believing that his drinking helps him get jobs and finds that he starts drinking earlier and earlier in the day. He also considers bloody Marys to be a vegetable and finds himself driving to judge a children's talent competition immediately after he got out of jail for a DUI.  

His career takes over his life while his father's illness takes a backseat. Steven keeps thinking he'll be caught, either from his employer or his wife, but he manages to keep dodging his problems until his lies and his unreliability takes a toll and he finds himself at an AA meeting, though after 70 days of being sober he finds himself on a seven day bender. When his boss leaves for another job, Steven is promoted to be the theatre's interim artistic director yet finds himself at the ER after being wildly drunk at a staff retreat. That incident, and a few that follow, force him to realize he's a drunk and that he needs to get professional help and not just support from an out patient program. But getting sober is hard when your friends seem to have all disappeared, which is hard for Steven to understand, along with the shame and weakness that comes with being an addict. 

Daniels' script is never pandering or pretentious and is peppered with witty lines like, "You don't approve of the vodka diet I've been on? So far I've lost three years." Kaller's direction for this reading provides seamless transitions with the cast delivering well delineated portrayals. With cracker jack line delivery and a nuanced performance, Joe Tapper is both hilarious and hearbreaking as the self destructive Steven. Genesis Oliver and Finnerty Steeves are equally adept in several supporting roles with Steeves especially moving as Steven’s mother and Oliver quite forceful as both Steven's boss and his fierce rehab counselor that sets him on the road to recovery. 

The use of music and sound effects from sound designer Leon Rothenberg and a few simple but effective props helps smooth over some of the rough edges that come from a virtual reading where the three actors are not in the same room together, while also providing amble opportunity for Oliver and Steeves to portray multiple roles with ease. My favorite prop is the "Best Effin Mom" mug that Steeves drinks straight vodka from as Steven's mom. 

Daniels' The White Chip is a witty and moving drama that let's you get a clear understanding of exactly what goes on in an addict's head. In our current world where theatre gatherings are on hold, the virtual reading of this piece also makes for a rewarding journey of one man's road of personal discovery.