In the play Hiroshi Me-Me-Me, Roberta and the man who is fleeing her, Hiroshi, have had a short-lived affair. It’s clear that her self-absorbed delusions have sent both this boyfriend and her best friend, Sarah, running for the door. Roberta’s fixation with the ever-elusive Hiroshi dominates all aspects of her life and causes crazy conflicts with her just-jilted BFF. Hiroshi is spinning both women like a yo-yo in each hand. Does he deserve all this devotion? Hiroshi-Me-Me-Me is a comedy of obsession. As it’s described, “(This) play is an object lesson for modern women on how not to handle yourself in romance: never think about whether your relationship is worth continuing, never tell the other person (or people) how you honestly feel and want to move forward, and never to learn from the experience by paying attention to where your feelings come from.”
Hiroshi Me-Me-Me is produced by the incomparable Robert Greer, and is worth catching at Theater for the New City before this coming weekend is over.
The Director
Roger Hendricks Simon is a graduate and founding member of Robert Brustein’s Yale Repertory Company. He has directed and acted for Joe Papp’s New York Shakespeare Festival, London’s Royal Court Theatre, Dublin’s Abbey Theatre, Edinburgh Festival, Lincoln Center, Brooklyn Academy of Music, La MaMa, Roundabout, Juilliard Opera, Los Angeles Theatre Center, the Williamstown Theatre Festival, O’Neill Playwrights Conference, Folger Shakespeare Group, Great Lakes Theatre Festival, PBS, Metromedia and BBC-TV, and NPR. He is also a prominent acting teacher in NY and LA. He was producing director of NPR’s Simon Studio Presents (also on XM Sirius cable radio and Time Warner Public Access TV). As an actor, he recently won the 2020 International Independent Film Award for Best Actor in a Supporting role for “Kove in Kilnerry” and appeared opposite Michael Douglas in Oliver Stone’s “Wall Street 2.” He will co-star Off Broadway in “This is Not a Time for Peace” by Deb Margolin opening next month on Theatre Row. (Rogerhendrickssimon. /Thesimonstudio)
About the Actress / Playwright
Award-winning playwright and charismatic actor Natalie Menna has a history of scripting incisive, lively, thought-provoking, and downright fun plays that capture our collective neuroses, contributing to everything that makes New York City a mecca for the arts and artists. Natalie Menna shines bright as Roberta in this play – and live theater is one of the genuine pleasures of living in NYC, so catch this limited-engagement play and deeply immerse in something that makes you think and laugh. Natalie Menna has had her plays “Zen A.M.” (2019) and “Occasionally Nothing” (2018, 2022) presented by TNC. She has appeared at TNC in August Strindberg Rep’s modernized versions of Strindberg’s “Creditors,” “Hedda Gabler,” “Dance of Death Parts 1 & 2,” “The Pelican” and “The Father.” She will appear as Vivian Leigh in “Orson’s Shadow” by Austin Pendleton, to be directed by the author this March at TNC. Her plays have also been produced by 14th Street Y, Ego Actus, Gene Frankel Theatre, United Solo, PCTF, MITF and Nylon Fusion among others. Her short film “Timber” was selected for the Oberon Theatre Company Film Series finale 2021.
Powerhouse actor Brad Fryman and the thoroughly delightful Holly O’Brien are always superb and never fail to deliver gravitas or laughs in their unique fashion for a layer of professionalism.
This play is every bit as good as it sounds. It’s perfectly timed for pondering Valentine’s Day on the horizon. Find more information qnd purchase tickets HERE.
