“Buyer & Cellar” — The Hit One-Man Show — Coming to Marblehead Little Theatre

The winner of the 2014-2015 Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Solo Show, “Buyer & Cellar” by Jonathan Tolins is coming to Marblehead Little Theatre for two performances only, beginning at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, September 8, and Saturday, September 9.

The 90-minute one-man show was inspired by the true-life publication of a mega-star’s coffee-table book sharing her passion for architecture and design. But then the story takes a fictional turn.

According to The New York Times, “Jonathan Tolins has concocted an irresistible one-man play from the most peculiar of fictitious premises — an underemployed Los Angeles actor goes to work in Barbra Streisand’s Malibu, Calif., basement — allowing the playwright to ruminate with delicious wit and perspicacity on the solitude of celebrity, the love-hate attraction between gay men and divas, and the melancholy that lurks beneath narcissism.”

Caleb Alman, who stars in the one-man show, said, “The fact that Barbra Streisand has a shopping mall in her basement is hysterical on its own — but the script Jonathan Tolins wrote, exploring the idea that a person would work down there, is so inventive and hilarious.”

Alman says, “My favorite part about ‘Buyer & Cellar’ is that it's just a guy telling this really great story and he's such a good story-teller that he becomes the people he's talking about.”

Alman was immediately drawn to the role and to the challenge. “As an actor, doing a one-person play is the greatest and most exciting challenge,” he explains. “How do you memorize 90 minutes of dialogue? How do you keep an audience's attention for that long on your own? How do you differentiate each character? Jumping those hurdles has been such an educational experience for me.”

“Buyer & Cellar” has been described as an outrageous comedy about the price of fame, the cost of things, and the oddest of odd jobs. Alman says, “The script is so layered with references, jokes, and hidden treats that audience members of every generation will get something really fun out of it.”

Eager to share the story, Alman says, “I can't wait to continue this journey at Marblehead Little Theatre and share this fantastical story with audiences!”

“Buyer & Cellar” is presented at Marblehead Little Theatre by special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service, Inc., New York.

Tickets are $25 each for adults and $20 for students and seniors and can be purchased online at mltlive.org and at Arnould Gallery & Framery starting August 9. For more information, call Andy Barnett at 781-910-0222.