The Garbologist Sets Up Shop at Theater Works in Hartford

 The Garbologist Sets Up Shop at Theater Works in Hartford

While most people think of garbage as the waste they’d like to forget, The Garbologist works to remind you that there are at least two sides to every story. Written by Lindsay Joelle and directed by Rob Ruggiero, The Garbologist is a 90-minute show that invites the audience to join Marlowe’s first day of her glamorous new job…a garbage worker in New York City. Not the job you’d anticipate from an Ivy League graduate. To show her the ropes, Marlowe is paired up with New York’s most resented garbage man, Danny. Our leads need to learn to see eye to eye, or drive each other mad trying. This mature-themed production has compelling moments with important life lessons. However, I don’t believe that Joelle’s intentions were met. While wanting to address themes such as feeling invisible, loss, and the daily impact we each make, the writing leaves the viewer walking away with excerpts of her ideas. With great concepts, this two-person production is a slow-burn with a decent delivery. 

Making her debut at the TheaterWorks Hartford, Bebe Nicole Simpson plays the first of the show’s two leads, Marlowe. In The Garbologist, Simpson plays the complicated role of a woman who is struggling with more than just her new job. We meet Marlowe on her first day as a garbage worker, and appears to be an average Joe who likes to be on their phone. Like many people, Marlowe despises her new coworker, Danny, for talking way too much and for wanting to know everything about his new partner. 

As the play goes on, Marlowe reveals more of her idiosyncrasies to Danny. With quirks, such as wanting to have a moment of peace with the trash or hyperventilating over her partner playing with garbage, Simpson plays a curious character that keeps viewers wondering about Marlowe until she is good and ready to open up. Simpson’s range in her acting is impactful. Like most things in life, Marlowe’s rapport with Danny is slow to develop and to get off the ground, but is thoughtful and worth the wait. 

Also making his debut at the TheaterWorks in Hartford, Jeff Brooks plays Danny. In The Garbologist, Brooks plays the role of blue-collar worker Danny, who's a veteran when it comes to picking up trash. Danny knows his stuff and likes to let everyone know whether they'd like it or not. Through Danny’s incessant monologue of “mentoring” Marlowe, and his many last-minute rescues of his new naive partner, the audience realizes the difficulty of picking up trash. Danny nitpicks Marlowe as she struggles to lift a mattress and tries to use the compactor on the truck. 

While seemingly a nuisance, Danny showcases that even in collecting trash, there are tricks to the trade. If you pick up the mattress the wrong way, you could get bed bugs. Likewise, when loading the truck after a beautiful snowstorm, stand clear, or be ready to get soaked by the compressing bags. Brooks’s performance makes New York proud. Like Simpson, Brooks reveals more to the audience who his character is as Danny slowly opens up to Marlowe. 

Along with the actors’ excellent ability, the staging was clever and creative. The small stage feels much larger as it changes from driving with Marlowe and Danny inside the garbage truck, to the trash-filled streets of NYC, to even a bar the two visit on their off hours. It is fun to see how the characters interact with the scenery and make the show a bit more realistic. Speaking of the garbage truck, this part of the set design looked incredibly realistic. Broken into two halves, the audience views Danny and Marlowe as they banter in the front of their truck. Likewise, the back of the truck is so lifelike that it even compresses the replica trash bags scattered around the stage.

While the actors’ performances were realistic and compelling, the production lost its impact through its writing and execution. As the writer of The Garbologist, Lindsay Joelle has the characters talk more than they show. Danny often talks about how garbage people are invisible to the outside world. Nobody pays attention to them, nor cares. However, there was nothing to reinforce the characters’ comments. By being a two-person play, the leads had no one but themselves to engage with. In my opinion, the show would have benefited from having a slightly larger cast. Even if there were several actors in the background walking, that would have reinforced the idea that no one pays attention to the lives of garbage workers.

In the playbill, Joelle mentions, “I heard stories of people letting their dog pee on a bag as a garbage collector bent over to retrieve it, or a pedestrian hocking a loogie into a corner basket as a worker emptied it into the trucker’s hopper.” Having additional actors to interact with Marlowe and Danny would have enriched the story by demonstrating how society impacts our characters. Engaging with other characters would also compel the viewer to empathize more. 

The Garbologist is a slow-burn and interesting production that attempts to discuss many universal topics. While it doesn’t land all the marks it set out to do, the show is engaging if you’re looking for a unique show. This production is not recommended for younger or immature audiences due to its risque comedy and serious moments.

The Garbologist is playing at TheaterWorks Hartford, and it runs through February 25, with tickets starting at $25. Tuesday through Thursday performances start at 7:30 p.m., Friday performances begin at 8:00 p.m., and weekend performances at 2:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased online at twhartford.org, over the phone at 860.527.7838, and at the box office at 233 Pearl Street, Hartford Ct 06103