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Wade

nytheatre.com review by David Reinwald
August 15, 2005

“Do you need help with the machine? You gotta push the bar all the way until the quarters disappear.” Meet Wade (Steve Barney). Odd, yet caring and a tad bit too talkative. He’s one of those people who is funny without even knowing it, and he’s quite willing to help you on your regular trip to the Laundromat. He’ll even watch your clothes for you while you go off to do other things, lest they get stolen. Wade’s home-away-from-home is, in fact, the Laundromat. He says that he’s not one of those people who is constantly doing things. He just likes to sit around... at the Laundromat.When I met Wade, he surely had a lot to say. He is quite an insightful guy. And, you know those things he says about just staying at the Laundromat aren’t entirely true. He also told me about his forays to the grocery store where he tried to meet some women. He stood around in the condiment aisle casually reading the nutritional information on the back of the mustard bottles—all of the various brands. Finally, a good looking gal ventured by and he struck up a conversation with her. It was all about mayonnaise. Too bad for my pal Wade, she wasn’t too interested—she hastily ran away.Wade is a little socially inept, if I might say. You probably guessed it already. But, gosh the things he observes. He is one bright guy and is so insightful to the daily rhythm of life. He talked about how his homeless and deaf friend Charlie gets treated when he comes into the Laundromat. On that subject, Wade pointed out how white folk like himself want to give a little encouragement to a white homeless person on the street who is perhaps just a little down on his luck, but for a black homeless person, they ask, why doesn’t he have a job? Wade, himself, has felt like that outsider. In his youth, he even once tried to believe he was gay, as that would make him feel like his difference at least had a place. But that all fell apart when he saw his gorgeous new female schoolteacher.In Wade, director, writer, and performer Steve Barney has written a one-man play that is funny and intellectual, heart-warming and incredibly perceptive. His performance is natural and convincing. Barney writes about the people who have inspired his performance: “For me, it can be very easy to forget that those people who, at first glance, appear to be playing bit parts in life—the convenience store clerk, the old guy sitting on the park bench mumbling, the bored-looking flight attendant—all have a complex first-person existence.”You should go and meet Wade soon. Don’t worry, he’ll be there to greet you. And, don’t forget to get your clothes done while you are there.