Do you have a routine? How in-depth is it? Do you straighten your knick-knacks before bed and then make sure the toothpaste tube is facing the right angle? We all do things to make ourselves feel better, but do the tasks we routinely perform keep us from the unknown, excitable joys out in the world? George Siougas’ The One Note Man is a pure delight, a romantic comedy that poses the question that the smallest changes in your life might be a salve for the heart.
Every day the One Note Man gets up, has breakfast, treats himself to a chocolate, and heads to his job as the symphony for work. As a crowd settles into their seats–more excited by attending the symphony at the holidays, no doubt–the One Note Man plays his one note on the bassoon before disassembling his instrument and hopping on his bike home. It’s a happy existence, but, one day, the One Note Man plays the wrong note…and the dominoes of catastrophe are knocked into motion
Siougas doesn’t think there’s anything wrong with routine, or the bassoon for that matter. The pandemic certainly taught a lot of us that living in a rhythm can be comforting and can take your mind off things that worry you. But without change, there is no spontaneity, and The One Note Man asks us to consider what it might be like if that spontaneity is chosen for us. Once the One Note Man’s course is knocked off-kilter, it might take a miracle to gain control.
Siougas doesn’t think there is any harm or shame in wanting more love in the world, and The One Note Man is gentle and never laughs at its protagonist. The laughs are never pushed too hard for us to lose our vested interest in this man’s quest for companionship.
Why play one note when you can have an entirely breathless score tuned into the beating of your own heart?
