Profile TheatreMay 17 - June 15, 2008
Review by Followspot:
Magnificent, tour-de-force performance from Ted Roisum. Trisha Todd disappears without a trace into her odius character. A lively supporting cast completes a fantastic ensemble. By turns hilarious, sweet, arresting, poignant. The only problem is the whiplash-inducing changes in tone. Not the fault of director Alder, blame the early, untested Guare.
2 comments:
I had the privilege of seeing the preview tonight, and I have to say, it was wonderfully done. Luct and Roisum turn in brilliant performances leading a top-notch cast that managed to balance the sharp wit with the heartbreaking tragedy that comes with such a difficult piece. An absolute must see for anyone who wants to see some of the finest acting that the city has to offer!
I agree that the cast is really exceptional. Some of Luct's best work to date. Roisum and Todd are also astounding (I didn't even recognize Trish as first!)
Kudos all 'round.
All the production design elements are also top notch. Really lovely set. Fun costumes.
I'm just not sure the script fares as well or that it really holds up after all these years. The absurdist black comedy in it feels pretty klunky and unsophisticated compared to more recent plays and playwrites (or even to more recent John Guare). This is clearly a younger and much less sophisticated Guare than the man who wrote Six Degrees of Separation. While it's interesting to see how far he's come as a playwrite, I'm not sure this play merits remounting outside of academia.
If you like the play, by all means see this. It's a great production. But if you aren't familiar with the play except by name, you might be disappointed by how poorly it has aged.
Post a Comment