The story is being recounted by the first actor, and practised for the class as a monologue for the second. In another segment, two actors being taught by Fielder are overlaid upon one another while relaying the same story. When it is Fielder’s turn to respond, a paid actor disrupts the scene. As this then leads into discussions around the larger failures in their lives (as per Fielder’s plan) Kor opens up about his failed marriage. And so, what begins as role-playing exercises soon devolves into elaborate schadenfreudian amusement for the viewer and confusion for the subjects.įor example, Fielder visits a shooting range with Kor but loads both guns with blanks so Kor will bond with Fielder over their mutual failure. As with Nathan For You, the show’s greatest attribute lies in Fielder’s ability to prey on people convinced of his earnest nature. Through practice, Kor will have the chance to clarify a decade-long misunderstanding with truculent trivia teammate Tricia about his level of education Patrick will be able to confidently challenge a codicil that bars him from his grandfather’s inheritance so long as he is dating a ‘gold digger’ and Angela, who wants to be a mother, will get to raise a child-or, rather, a number of actors working four-hour shifts-to see if she is ready for the real deal. The Rehearsal is an extension of this perfidious mission statement. The semblance of logic initially offered by Fielder frequently disintegrates over such episodes but, fuelled by Fielder’s camera crew, a sense of American exceptionalism and the necessity to creatively compete, many business owners were successfully strung along. The $1 set would also be available at the small store, contingent upon the customer observing a black-tie dress code, crawling through a two-foot-tall door and edging past a guarding alligator. In ‘Electronics Store’, for example, Fielder convinces a small store to bankrupt retail giant Best Buy, charging $1 for an expensive flatscreen that BestBuy would have to price-match, thus incurring a massive loss. The success of the show-leaning further into the reality television arena than the docu-series of its successor-lay in how it blurred the line between logic, credibility and the absurd. The plan: to pitch unique schemes to middling local businesses. Its recently-announced renewal for a second season will be surprising to many-but should it be?įielder emerged to audiences via his Comedy Central show Nathan For You, which tapped out after four seasons of Fielder masquerading as a po-faced business school grad. ![]() Yet few reviews of The Rehearsal have been positive, and critics seem uncomfortable with the show’s ethically dubious formula. But Fielder, no stranger to the uncomfortable, soon derails the experience for his Craigslist-sourced subjects, and what will equally repel and attract viewers is the tour de force of absurdist comedy that ensues, and the masterclass in manipulation that gets us there. The show has drawn in scores of viewers thanks to its conceit and Fielder’s deadpan performance. As host Nathan Fielder explains: ‘A happy outcome doesn’t have to be left to chance.’ The seductive premise is that if you were able to rehearse for the important moments of your life, accounting for every possible variable and scenario, you wouldn’t fall short of the moment and achieve the perfect performance. HBO’s recent docu-series The Rehearsal is hard to watch.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |