PUSH/PULL PACKS A PUNCH
Berkeley’s Central Works is known for offering local Bay Area writers workshops and the opportunity for new playwrights to debut their works on stage with an audience. The offering at hand is Harry Davis‘s triumphant Push/Pull, performed in the small and intimate setting of The Berkeley City Club. For the world premiere, under Gary Graves’ direction, every scene feels authentic and necessary to chart the relationship of two friends in a small garage gym complete with old metal free-standing weights, a bench, chin-up bar, and a small refrigerator. One can practically smell the sweat. We are introduced to Nolan, a six-foot, muscle-bound guy seemingly in his mid-20s. He’s wearing his old sweatpants and sweatshirt pumping himself up. Deep into his workout, he almost misses hearing knocking on the door. In comes “Clark,” his former friend from high school. Clark is about 5 feet 8 inches tall and appears to be thin in his shapeless, baggy grey sweats.
Nolan (Matthew Kropschot) will stop at nothing
to meet his goal---getting totally jacked---in Push/Pull
As the friends catch up, we learn that Nolan is in training for an upcoming local physique contest. The prize money and potential for fame and a career in bodybuilding are quite enticing for him. He has a dead-end job at Safeway and is renting his old childhood bedroom from his father. Clark is seemingly equally stuck in his life. He’s recently out of a local treatment center for anxiety and depression following being dumped by his long-time girlfriend. Back into the real world and in his hometown, he’s directionless, anxious, and has no idea how to move forward in his life.
Nolan sees Clark’s misfortune as a mutually beneficial opportunity. He convinces Clark of the benefits of getting him “Jacked Up” and how having more muscle will boost his low self-esteem. He needs Clark, though, to agree to be his coach for the competition and guide him through all the poses and positions that he will be critiqued on in the contest. A “Win Win” for both of them.
Nolan (Matthew Kropschot, r) wants to get his body-building Pro-card and asks his
school-friend Clark (Andre Amarotico) to help him win the amateur competition
We all know people like Nolan or Clark from our youth. They’re your acquaintances from high school who seem to flounder after graduation. They’re the ones who didn’t leave your hometown to go off to college or get married. Consequently, in their mid-20s, they’re still stuck at home working menial jobs with nothing to show for themselves. An opportunity outside their immediate surroundings comes up and they fantasize about instant cash and prizes just around the corner. Think of the girl who sang in the high school play and thinks she has what it takes to become the next American Idol.
After a difficult breakup followed by a brief stay in mental health facility, Clark
(Andre Amarotico) is determined to get jacked in order to win back his old girlfriend
The play is set in present-day Berkeley, where most young people go to school or are immersed in a culture where everyone is seemingly programmed for success and changing the world. A push-pull workout refers to a type of resistive training program that involves pushing and pulling. It’s also a metaphor for Nolan and Clark’s friendship. As the training progresses, Clark accidentally learns that Nolan is shooting himself up with anabolic steroids. They are, of course, illegal but are proven to have long-term consequences that affect not only the body but also the mind. When Clark confronts Nolan with his discovery, Nolan argues that he needs this “shortcut” to ensure his victory. It causes a rift that will affect their friendship as well as the competition. This central conflict, of course, has no easy answers, and the audience is left wondering if the friendship—or even the friends—will survive.
Clark (Andre Amarotico) and Nolan (Matthew Kropschot) set out on a journey of physical
perfection through a regimen of discipline, drinking your milk, and the 7 Compulsory Poses
Matthew Kropschot literally fills out his role physically as Nolan, the bodybuilder. His well-defined physique and expressions of grit and determination during his workouts engross. Equally well-cast is Andre Amaroticco as Clark. With his pale demeanor and soft-spoken, high-pitched voice, we want to root for him just as we wanted the cowardly lion to find his courage in The Wizard of Oz. Both actors have believable and heartfelt individual moments of doubt and fear, but of course, what makes the show work is their chemistry as childhood friends with a long shared history. Harry Davis’s show is gripping and touching at the same time. With themes of masculinity, friendship, loyalty, and love, the one-act is intense. Within the tiny confines of Berkeley City Club, we’re also in that small garage gym, literally sitting on the sidelines, invested in these two troubled souls looking for a way out.
photos by Robbie Sweeny/Central Works
Push/Pull
Central Works
Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave. in Berkeley
Thurs & Fri at 8; Sat at 7; Sun at 5
ends on March 30, 2025
for tickets ($35-$45 & Pay-What-You-Can Thursdays), visit Central Works
