FACEvalue mission statement part 2

FACEvalue is a play about a boy band, their manager, ghost writing, press conferences, political affiliation, fame, fear of being un-ironic, a jet, two cars, a truck, a bus, child celebrities, a really big gun, a power drill, the death of grunge, secret girlfriends, drugs, thirty-two twinkees and a ding dong, a nun and porn actress (same person!), and teenage girls screaming for all the wrong reasons. Of course, some of that’s true.  Some it isn’t.

Narrated by Carl, the “forgettable” member of the band, FACEvalue jumps from place to place in the narrative. “I wanted the structure of the work to be like a novel,” says writer-director Rob Matsushita.  “The idea is to observe the storyline from Carl’s train of thought.  I’m a fan of books that are told from a cynical first-person perspective, like Chuck Palahniuk’s Survivor, or She’s Come Undone, by Wally Lamb.  I’m a maniac when it comes to structuring my plays—I’m a big believer in outlines—this one, I’m working without a net.”

Audiences shouldn’t be expecting an out-an-out parody of boy bands like N’SYNC or Backstreet Boys like MTV’s recent marshmallow bomb “2Ge+her.”  This is a story about fame itself.  When a normal person makes a mistake, it’s a crime.  When a celebrity makes a mistake, it’s a scandal…and O.J. Simpson raised the bar as to what celebrities can get away with. “I always get a little worried when people tell me that they’re looking forward to this show,” says Matsushita.  “I think, ‘What are they expecting?’  I’m not sure what to live up to.  In a weird way, that’s kind of what the show’s about; not giving the public what they want, but convincing them that they want what you’ve got.  It’s all about spin.” “And anyone in this country during the election,” Matsushita adds, “ought to know what spin is."”

On June 15th...it's time to FACE the music.

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