Actor Doug Clemons Plays Everyone in This Comedy About Streisand’s Fake Mall
Imagine you’re a down-on-your-luck actor who lands a strange side job: managing the underground fake mall inside Barbra Streisand’s Malibu home. You spend weeks strolling through her collection of trinkets, furniture and dolls before finally meeting the iconic star and striking up an unusual friendship.
That’s the setup of Buyer & Cellar, an outlandish one-man comedy written by Jonathan Tolins that runs from March 22-April 13 at Renaissance Theaterworks. Playing the lead – Alex More – and several other characters, including Streisand herself, is local actor Doug Clemons.
“I have been on the hunt to do this piece for a decade now,” Clemons says, “and it’s finally coming to fruition, which I could not be more excited about.” Renaissance Theaterworks artistic director Suzan Fete knew Clemons would be perfect for the role after they shared their mutual love for the show years ago.
The 90-minute production rests solely on Clemons’ shoulders, but this isn’t his first time commanding the stage alone. “I’ve done a bunch of solo concerts, musicals and cabarets, which makes me comfortable doing the banter part of this show – one-on-one with the audience.”
While the play is completely fictionalized, the setting is real. In 2010, Streisand released her book My Passion for Design, in which she shares photos of her real-life tiny basement mall filled with costumes from her films and performances, glassware, shoes and more, including a prized doll collection inside “Bee’s Doll Shop.”
“I was extremely familiar with the story,” Clemons says. “I actually had a long coffee date with Suzan (Fete) a decade ago about Buyer & Cellar. It had just come out on Off-Broadway. So I bought the script and just devoured it. I was like ‘oh yeah, this is something I need to do.’
The play covers it all— materialism, idol worship, complex relationships, unusual friendships— all told in a comedic, catching-up-with-your-best-friend style.
Although the story takes place in California, this production is a strictly Wisconsin affair. Director Ray Jivoff is the former artistic director at Skylight Music Theatre and a personal mentor of Clemons. Scenic designer Lisa Schlenker is a local production industry leader.
Jason Orlenko is the costume designer, who also worked on the first play Clemons directed, Xanadu. Clemons was introduced to lighting designer Jimmy Balistreri during a performance with Door County’s Northern Sky Theater. And technical director Tony Lyons and production stage manager Bailey Wegner have worked on dozens of local productions.
“Yes, it’s one person on the stage, but all of the artists involved in (Buyer & Cellar) represent such a huge Wisconsin-wide theater community that I’m just extremely proud of,” says Clemons.
While the plot and jokes lean referential to pop culture, Clemons believes it’s not just a story about the rich and famous. “The show has those little nuggets of wisdom where we look at our relationship with the stuff that we own. And you’re like, ‘Why do I have all of these things? Does this bring me joy?’” says Clemons. “It starts with stuff, and then it goes to the people around us.”
