SHOPPING FOR LAUGHS

Jonathan Tolins’ delicious one-man comedy
turns retail therapy into theatrical therapy

A special kind of theatre magic occurs when a comedic play can live in the perfect liminal landscape between outrageousness and being deeply grounded in reality and humanity. Hub Theatre Company’s one-man show Buyer and Cellar creates and occupies this terrain with assurance and delight. It is clear that both the playwright Jonathan Tolins and the actor Victor L. Shopov are having a delicious time concocting and playing in that alchemy, and we are right there with them.

Under the superb direction of Daniel Bourque, Shopov immediately gets the audience on his side as he breaks the fourth wall and welcomes us to this experience, acknowledging how crazy the premise sounds, and that even though “for legal reasons” he must announce it’s not a true story, the basis comes from real life. He paints a picture of his character Alex’s life as a struggling actor. We completely sympathize with the way Alex’s firing from Disneyland went down, and totally understand why he said yes to a gig running the private shopping mall in Barbra Streisand’s Malibu basement. Does the famed diva actually have a private underground mall, complete with the sweet shop, doll shop, antique boutique, and so forth in the play? Amazingly, yes! Did she actually write a book called My Passion for Design that features prominently in the performance? Of course! These facts, plus the deep compassion that Tolins composed and that Shopov embodies, keep the entire evening down-to-earth and balanced even through the wacky ride of fictional Alex’s life during his time working for beloved Babs.

Each of the production’s creative elements, including lighting, props (or sometimes without props, miming), choreography, and costumes, expertly contribute to and serve this specific balance of broad and grounded. Sometimes a feathered boa and silk shawl are required to do a character justice, other times just an evocative pair of sunglasses, and more often simply the actor himself, transformed. Special mention goes to the scenic and projections design by Justin Lahue.

And speaking of theatre magic, we know this is a one-man show and that this one actor is playing all the many roles to perfection, enhanced by Gage Baker’s sound design. And yet, incredibly enough, each time Alex anticipates Barbra’s arrival, we feel that the woman herself (or an actor not listed in the program) might enter at any moment. Completely captivated, we are swept up by the production’s alchemical magic, carried along by Shopov’s versatility, skill, and soulfulness. The whole package is funny without being silly, touching without being maudlin, and clever without being too clever.

For the cherry on top (an apt metaphor, as frozen yogurt features in the show), a variety of theatre references are generously sprinkled throughout the evening, both directly and indirectly. What delicious fun—and highly recommended.

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photos courtesy of Hub Theatre Company

Buyer & Cellar
Hub Theatre Company
Club Café, 209 Columbus Ave. in Boston
Thurs-Sat at 7:30, Sun at 2
ends on August 1, 2026
for tickets (Pay-What-You-Can), visit Hub Theatre Company
all audience members receive 20% off their total food bill at Club Café

for more shows, visit Theater in Boston

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