Arts & Events

Last Saturday, I went to a living room performance in Oakland near the Berkeley border.

Honesty is not something that happens much on stage, perhaps by the nature of the art and artifice. We use the playwright’s words, we pretend to be someone we are not, and, like Aristotle said, honesty on the stage is an imitation of real life.

This performance was honest. There are only two people who can perform it. It is about their story. The honesty is no only their banter, in her narrative of her journey, and in her voice and choice of songs. There is an impromptu feel and candor that shows not only their connection but also shows the sometimes rocky nature of their relationship.

Miss Jeffrie Givens voice will transport you. I use that archaic honorific “Miss” to underscore that she is a woman despite her masculine -sounding surname. But the crux of the play is her ability to tell her story of breaking out of her tightly woven chrysalis with the help of Marty Nemko, her career counselor, who played a sort of Henry Higgins role in her life. 

Rarely is one able to make art from a counseling session. 

You probably recognize the name Marty Nemko from his KGO and KALW radio shows about work and careers or his long-running career column in the Chronicle. Several polls have named him the best career counselor in the Bay Area. But he is much more. 

I’ve known Marty for a decade. He is a gifted pianist who plays by ear and when very young back in NYC, was a well-known accompanist who even played with Peter Duchin. Marty is a New Yorker whose outspoken opinions don’t fly in the PC SFBay. He wrote “Career Counseling for Dummies,” writes a regular column for Psychology Today. He is one of the most generous men I know. 

Ms. Givens is obese, African-American, and has been diagnosed with autism. She felt she had failed at life after being rejected for all 600 job applications. Shy doesn’t describe the inwardness that made all around her feel uncomfortable. When in grade school, the kids and the teachers called her “retard.” Transcending that label, she now has a degree from UC Berkeley.  

When she went to Marty, she wasn’t interested in anything--except singing. 

Marty used it to break down the wall. He pushed her to return to college to finish her final three credits and challenged her continuously—or as he said, “I pushed her ass.” In some of their banter, you can feel that their closeness has its rocky side. She now works at Children’s Hospital, and has been cast in musicals from Woodminster to Lamplighters. 

Her story--and their story of working together—use a well-rehearsed collection of some of the more challenging including many lesser-known songs and in the Broadway musical repertory.  

Marty sings with her occasionally, and has a version of “My Yiddishe Mama” that brings tears. The performance is about 90 minutes with an intermission.  

At least one local major theatre has expressed interest in producing this biographical musical. 

“Retard!” is one of those two-person revues that could run for years at a small theatre on Sutter St. in SF or elsewhere. But it is so personal that it would have to be performed by these two personalities. 

While future productions of 'Retard' are pending, you can arrange for a performance for your fundraiser or for a party by contacting Marty Nemko at MNemko@comcast.net Performances can be tailored to your time needs. 

View a snippet of the performance at https://vimeo.com/111924923