{"id":1512,"date":"2016-10-31T17:54:46","date_gmt":"2016-10-31T17:54:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/?p=1512"},"modified":"2018-08-30T20:22:04","modified_gmt":"2018-08-30T20:22:04","slug":"theatre-in-film-waiting-for-guffman-1996","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/theatre-in-film-waiting-for-guffman-1996\/","title":{"rendered":"Theatre in Film: Waiting for Guffman (1996)"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"fusion-one-full fusion-layout-column fusion-column-last fusion-spacing-yes section-header-post\" style=\"margin-top:;margin-bottom:;\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper\"><h3>Theatre in Film: <em>Waiting for Guffman<\/em> (1996)<\/h3>\n<font size=\"2\" color=\"grey\"><span style=\"border:1px solid ;-webkit-border-radius:50%;-moz-border-radius:50%;border-radius:50%;-moz-box-shadow: 0 0 3px rgba(0,0,0,.3);-webkit-box-shadow: 0 0 3px rgba(0,0,0,.3);box-shadow: 0 0 3px rgba(0,0,0,.3);margin-right:25px;float:left;\" class=\"fusion-imageframe imageframe-glow imageframe-1 hover-type-none author-image\"><a class=\"fusion-no-lightbox\" href=\"http:\/\/performerstuff.com\" target=\"_self\"> <img src=\"http:\/\/mgs.performerstuff.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/authorimage.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"img-responsive\" style=\"-webkit-border-radius:50%;-moz-border-radius:50%;border-radius:50%;\"\/><\/a><\/span><p>Written by Ashleigh Gardner<\/p>\n<p>October 28, 2016<\/p>\n<\/font><div class=\"fusion-clearfix\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-clearfix\"><\/div><div class=\"fusion-one-full fusion-layout-column fusion-column-last fusion-spacing-yes section-body-post\" style=\"margin-top:;margin-bottom:;\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper\"><p style=\"text-align: left;\">We return to Part V in our Theatre in Film series, a weekly segment of Performer Stuff\u2019s blog where we discuss a film that features a life in theatre. Part V of Theatre in Film celebrates movies from 1995 to 1999 that feature social, moral, and ethical issues within the theatre &#8212; except\u00a0<em>Waiting for Guffman,\u00a0<\/em>the hysterical,\u00a0outrageous, and totally relatable\u00a0improvised\u00a0mockumentary\u00a0by Christopher Guest and Eugene Levy.<\/p>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: left;\"><em>Waiting for Guffman\u00a0<\/em>(1996)<\/h4>\n<br><div align=\"center\"><div class=\"fusion-video fusion-youtube\" style=\"max-width:600px;max-height:350px;\"><div class=\"video-shortcode\"><iframe title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/s0Ml4u3hLlY?wmode=transparent&autoplay=0\" width=\"600\" height=\"350\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div><\/div><\/div><br><p style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong>Director:\u00a0<\/strong>Christopher Guest<br \/>\n<strong>Starring:\u00a0<\/strong>Christopher Guest, Catharine O&#8217;Hara, Eugene Levy, Parker Posey, Fred Willard, and Bob Balaban<\/p>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: left;\">What happens:<\/h4>\n<br><p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the small town of Blaine, Missouri, high school theatre director Corky St. Clair (Christopher Guest) has been tasked with putting on a community theatre musical production called <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Red, White, and Blaine<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for the town\u2019s 150th anniversary<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As Corky holds auditions for the play with musical director Lloyd Miller (Bob Balaban), a delusional and severely untalented group of Blaineians try their hand at acting and singing. Among them are Ron and Sheila Albertson (Fred Willard and Catharine O\u2019Hara) who perform a shoddy version of \u201cMidnight at the Oasis\u201d; Libby Mae Brown (Parker Posey), a Dairy Queen worker, who performs \u201cTeacher\u2019s Pet\u201d and a lengthy soap-opera-esque monologue; and Dr. Alan Pearl (Eugene Levy), the town dentist, who somewhat adeptly sings a medley of various songs.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Excited at the prospect of returning to New York for theatre, Corky writes to Mort Guffman, a Broadway producer, and requests his presence at opening night of the show. Corky leads the cast to believe that they may have a shot on Broadway. Meanwhile, no one knows their lines, Corky is running out of money, and Lloyd is furious that there\u2019s no set schedule for music rehearsals. After Corky approaches the town\u2019s council and is denied more funding, he nearly quits the show, but is convinced to come back&#8230;when he must fill in for a cast member who drops on opening night. When the curtain finally rises, Guffman isn\u2019t in his reserved seat, and the cast is devastated until they see a man (Paul Benedict) take his place in the front row &#8212; this must be Guffman. After the show, Corky leads the man into the dressing room. The cast is thrilled to meet him&#8230;until they find out he isn\u2019t Guffman.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: left;\">Why it matters:<\/h4>\n<br><p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Though community theatre can be immensely rewarding, entertaining, and of the highest calibre, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Waiting for Guffman <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">showcases the most hysterical, awkward, and hilariously uncomfortable aspects of community theatre: bad auditions, inappropriate auditions, amateur actors who treat others with intense disrespect, misguided directors, low funding, bad acting (and singing), and high expectations mingled with profound disappointment.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Libby Mae Brown\u2019s character is quite possibly the most relatable character in the film, embodying the young actor we\u2019ve all been at some point in our adolescence: naive, hopeful, passionate, and eager to please. Her job at Dairy Queen has held her captive for \u201c8 months&#8230;7&#8230;I dunno, something like that.\u201d In her first interview, she\u2019s obviously bored with her job as she smokes a cigarette and counts the food items people can order. However, when she\u2019s in front of Corkey and Lloyd in the audition room, she\u2019s vibrant and animated (although her performance is cringe-worthy). It\u2019s in the theatre that she\u2019s seen smiling for the first time, and her performance during the night of the show is energetic and pure. She talks about wanting to go to New York to discover different ideas and experiences &#8211;a dream many theatre kids have themselves.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Of course, the overarching theme of <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Waiting for Guffman <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">is the thought of expecting something greater&#8230;and that something never coming to fruition. The title of the film refers to Tom Stoppard\u2019s 1953 play, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Waiting for Godot <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">in which two characters, Vladamir and Estragon, sit around in the middle of a cross-roads waiting for a person named \u201cGodot\u201d to appear. Guest\u2019s Guffman never comes, as his plane is downed in New York due to a snow storm. Stoppard\u2019s Godot never arrives, either, tempting Vladamir and Estragon to commit suicide. Unlike <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Waiting for Godot<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Waiting for Guffman <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">shows us what happens to the characters post-disappointment, indicating that whatever happens to us is, ultimately, in our own hands &#8212; including our success.<\/span><\/p>\n<br><p style=\"text-align: left;\">This film is the second\u00a0featured in Part V\u00a0of \u201cTheatre in Film\u201d. See below for the others in Part V.<\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: left;\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/theatre-in-film-an-awfully-big-adventure-1995\/\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong><em>An\u00a0Awfully Big\u00a0Adventure\u00a0<\/em>(1995)<\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/theatre-in-film-stage-fright-2014\/\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>Theatre in Film Halloween Special\u00a0&#8211;\u00a0<em>Stage Fright<\/em> (2014)<\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong><em>Shakespeare in Love<\/em>\u00a0(1998)<\/strong>\u00a0<em>(Coming soon.)<\/em><\/li>\n<li><strong><em>Cradle Will Rock<\/em>\u00a0(1999)<\/strong>\u00a0<em>(Coming soon.)<\/em><\/li>\n<li><strong><em>Topsy Turvy<\/em>\u00a0(1999)<\/strong>\u00a0<em>(Coming soon.)<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Want to start with\u00a0<strong>Part I<\/strong>? Begin with\u00a0<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong><em><a href=\"http:\/\/mgs.performerstuff.com\/?p=133\">42nd Street\u00a0<\/a><\/em>(1933)<\/strong><\/span>.<br \/>\nMiss\u00a0<strong>Part II<\/strong>?\u00a0Check out\u00a0<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/theatre-in-film-series-the-band-wagon-1953\/\"><strong><em>The Band Wagon<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0<strong>(1953)<\/strong><\/a><\/span>.<br \/>\nNeed a refresh for\u00a0<strong>Part III<\/strong>? Start with\u00a0our feature on\u00a0<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong><em><a href=\"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/theatre-in-film-series-all-that-jazz-1979\/\">All That Jazz\u00a0<\/a><\/em><\/strong><strong>(1979)<\/strong><\/span>.<br \/>\nHow about a recap from\u00a0<strong>Part IV<\/strong>? Jump into\u00a0<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/theatre-in-film-a-chorus-of-disapproval-1989\/\"><strong><em>A Chorus of Disapproval\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/a><strong>(1989)<\/strong><\/span>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fusion-clearfix\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-clearfix\"><\/div><hr \/>\n<h5 style=\"text-align: left;\"><em><strong>Ashleigh Gardner<\/strong>\u00a0received her AA in Theatre\/Drama\/Dramatic Arts\u00a0from Valencia College and\u00a0her Bachelors Degree in English Literature and\u00a0Masters Degree in Literary, Cultural, and Textual Studies from\u00a0the University of Central Florida. She is a playwright, an actor, and PerformerStuff.com\u2019s Editor.\u00a0<\/em><\/h5>\n<h5 style=\"text-align: left;\">Thumbnail image from\u00a0<em>Waiting for Guffman<\/em>. Copyright \u00a9 Sony Pictures Classics 1996.<\/h5>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" [...]","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1513,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[259,265,453],"tags":[416,106,25,417,319,209,413,80,56,14],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1512"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1512"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1512\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1513"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1512"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1512"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1512"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}