'Dead Accounts' Stages A Comeback At HTC

Andrew Botsford did not read one word about Theresa Rebeck’s “Dead Accounts” before deciding to direct it. He wanted it to stage untainted by previous reviews. He wanted it to reflect his unbiased vision for the Hampton Theatre Company’s production, opening Thursday at Quogue Community Hall.

In retrospect, that was a good move, he said.

The comedy that Ms. Rebeck, creator of NBC’s “Smash,” penned in 2012 premiered at the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park before heading to Broadway, where it drew a star-studded cast, including Norbert Leo Butz and Katie Holmes, and powerhouse director Jack O’Brien.

“Eventually, I had to look at the reviews, and I said, ‘This didn’t go over very well, did it?’” Mr. Botsford recalled. “They said it was funny, but that it couldn’t make up its mind on what kind of play it was. It didn’t resolve. I think that’s a fair comment. I didn’t see that production, so I didn’t see what they were reviewing, but as far as the play is concerned, I think they may have missed the point.”

This month, Mr. Botsford is working to rectify the initial flop, and caught up with The Southampton Press to discuss all things “Dead Accounts,” not to mention his shift from actor to director.

The Press: When did you first come across “Dead Accounts”? Did you see it on Broadway?

Andrew Botsford: I didn’t. I was at the Drama Book Shop in New York and I was looking at plays, and I always liked Theresa Rebeck. So, I went to the Theresa Rebeck section and picked up “Dead Accounts.” I read it and thought it was good, and I promoted it to the play selection committee. And I also said I would like to direct it.

Why was that?

Botsford: I liked the play a lot and there’s no part in it for me [he laughs]. And I knew I could do the play justice by directing it. I think there’s a lot of fun in it. It’s very funny, but there’s also some good truths about it.

Can you elaborate?

Botsford: Theresa Rebeck says in a forward to the play, “America doesn’t know how to talk to itself anymore,” and the thesis that follows is that people on the coast—the East Coast and the West Coast—and the people in the heartland can’t talk to each other because they don’t share the same values. They don’t look at money the same way, they don’t look at religion or spirituality the same way. They don’t look at family bonds the same way. They have different points of view to her—she grew up in Cincinnati. She went to Catholic school in Cincinnati.

How does her background play into the story line?

Botsford: Jack, the protagonist, is from Cincinnati, his mother is a very devout Catholic and he comes home to visit from New York, very disillusioned. His wife isn’t with him and he’s got a lot of money. That’s how the play starts. And his family is wondering why his wife isn’t with him and how did he come up with all this money. Then, his wife shows up and we start to understand what’s going on.

How have you approached the play as a director?

Botsford: I don’t want to do any spoilers here. There are places it could go a lot darker and where I chose to play more of the humor of that and not make it so hard. And there’s places that need some wrenching reality involved. Finding that balance is a critical part of what I was looking at, and also where I was envisioning it and coming up with a concept.

At the end of the play is a critical juncture and there are no clear instructions from the playwright how that’s supposed to happen. It’s left to the director, and I had a pretty clear idea with what I wanted to do. I worked it out with the set designer, Peter , the lighting designer, Sebastian, the costume designer, Teresa, and Diana Marbury, who dresses our sets … They responded with their own creative input. In the end, it’s all of our vision. It’s not just my vision.

What do you hope audiences take away from it?

Botsford: I like them to be entertained. I like them to laugh, I like them to go along with it, I like them to be moved. Any theater experience, you want it to resonate on some level. I want them to be thinking about it when they walk out. I want them to care about the characters.

The characters in this play—maybe it’s a reason the reviews weren’t as solid as they might have been—are very true to life, which means they’re not always likable. You’re not necessarily always cheering for them. There’s ambiguities in people. There’s different things going on. There’s no one who’s all one thing. There’s no complete heroes and villains. I like that about the play.

I would like them to come away with, “Wow, that was a great evening of theater, and it was interesting.” It’s true that there is a piece of it that is from the Bible: You can’t serve two masters. You can’t serve God and money. It’s not overtly laid out, but it’s part of the subtext. There are all these questions on the table—Can you ever go home again? If not in church, where do we find God? Is there any kind of morality attached to making and keeping money? These are issues that are beyond the Midwest versus The Coast. These are issues that are pretty real for the whole country and I think are on the table for a lot of us. So maybe it resonates with people. That’s what I’m hoping.

The Hampton Theatre Company will open “Dead Accounts” on Thursday, January 14, at 7 p.m. at Quogue Community Hall. Performances will continue through Sunday, January 31, on Thursdays and Fridays at 7 p.m., Saturdays at 8 p.m., and Sundays at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $30, $25 for seniors, except Saturdays, and $10 for students under age 21. For more information, call (631) 653-8955, or visit hamptontheatre.org.