One With the Current

 One With the Current

Fandango 4 Art House
36^th Street Studio Theatre
September 21, 2023

Photo courtesy of Fandango 4 Art House
 One With the Current

Daniel Damiano creates a unique and intriguing piece of theatre with his one character play, One With the Current.  We see the character’s open heart in the way he relates to his son and his best friend.  We empathize with his struggle to keep his business afloat through the pandemic.  We sense the uncomfortable change in his family structure as his daughter goes off to college and is affected by outside influences.  We viscerally experience the challenges, pressures, and disappointments that makes this man vulnerable… and willing to participate in the January 6 protest. 

Daniel Damiano as Cliff
Photo by Gerry Goodstein

The stage is delineated into four distinct settings.  When light comes up in each location, Cliff (played by Daniel Damiano) is speaking with someone different. In one area, he is fishing on the lake with his best friend, Roy, drinking beer, venting about work, and releasing stress.  In another area, he is fishing off a pier, bonding with his son while teaching him how to reel in his first catch.  We then find him at home, arguing with his wife about their daughter’s choice not to return from college during Christmas break.  This hurts him.  He feels powerless.  When we return to the scene where Cliff is fishing with Roy, he decides to attend a protest on January 6.  We know the outcome of that day, but, naturally, Cliff has no sense of the extreme possibilities.  All he feels in that moment is the desperation that motivates him to go to Washington DC with Roy to have his voice heard.           

Unlike most solo shows, the main character never addresses the audience directly.  We never hear Mr. Damiano tell a story.  We watch the character of Cliff in solo scenes with his best friend, his son, his wife, and his deceased father.  By making the creative choice of doing these scenes as monologues, as opposed to having other actors portray these characters, the audience is given a focused glimpse into the depth of the character.  They see a different side of him in each of these scenes.  He is an Everyman.  A husband, a father, a diligent worker.  He is also sensitive, forceful, tender, aggressive… and vulnerable.  Mr. Damiano’s masterful writing is exceeded only by his skillful portrayal of this character. 

Daniel Damiano as Cliff
Photo by Gerry Goodstein

In the course of this story, the audience comprehends the shattering of the American Dream, as middle class values becomes obsolete.  Cliff says, after the January 6 riot, that he was one of many “Americans who were disenfranchised.  At first it was all… but then it started to seem justified.”  He explains how he felt pulled into the events of that day, becoming “one with the current.”  Cliff tells a story about how fish gather strength when they swim together.  He was told by his father, and advised his son, to swim against the current to gain personal strength.  Cliff breaks that chain of advice through his actions on January 6.  He shatters both the promise he made to his father and the authority he has over his son.  This is his greatest loss.  At one point, Cliff states that “out of the weeds becomes a garden.”  He defines this as the American Dream.  We see in the final scene how he tries to rebuild his dream by establishing a truthful relationship with his son.  He starts by admitting how his actions reflect who he is.  He faces the consequences.  It is a powerful ending. 

No matter your political point of view, this is an important play to see.  Mr. Damiano explores the gray/human areas of what is a black and white issue for most people.  This play offers a perspective on the vulnerability of our time.  

One With the Current is playing at 36^th Street Studio Theatre (312 W. 36 St., 4^th Floor, NYC) through October 8.  It has a 70 minute running time.  Be sure to see it! 

Domenick Danza