After Dinner
Mon, 13 Aug 2001, 06:54 pmLinda2 posts in thread
After Dinner
Mon, 13 Aug 2001, 06:54 pmWent to see After Dinner at Playlovers on Opening night and after reading all the discussion on reviews I thought I'd give it a go. Unfortunately I didn't keep my program so names can't be mentioned.
LOVED IT
It was an extremely well balanced script, both in the contrasts of emotions and situations and in terms of lines per actor (no bit parts! - can you tell I act?). I laughed out loud several times (I'm not known for my voluble laughter at shows, but everyone else made up for it) and (I admit it, I'm a bit of a softy) I even felt a little lump in my throat and moist in the eyes in the sad bits.
The director (I know his name but I won't mention it to be fair to the rest of the company) pulled out some great moves (especially considering the fact that most of it is scripted sitting down at dinner tables in a bar) and at no time did I feel that anyone was gratuitously "gettingup" just to keep things moving. And i loved the dance scenes.
The set made excellent use of levels but I was a bit concerned by the obvious joins between flats. And I simply Loooved the art work.
The 5 actors did a great job. All sustained their characters and very little "corpsing" was noticeable, although I was a bit disappointed that the poor girl (who hadn't ever been on stage before) wasn't supported by the rest of the cast when she forgot her lines - the silence was long enough for us, I can't imagine how long it felt up there. I think she did herself proud in all other aspects. (to be balanced I must say that projection was a problem) And as I mentioned before the emotionally down bits were handled beautifully by the widow, and her acting? when overindulging was great ("morning sickness" just added that touch of realism) The third actress (who was in fact the first) recreated her role superbly with fantastic facial and vocal expressions which gave the character depth. The guys were a treat - the balance between macho and sensitive new age guy was extremely well played and they managed to convey the growth of their characters well - It's amazing how much of a character is revealed once people get a bit of alcohol under their belts.
The crew did well with a few little opening night hitches, but nothing serious and this bodes well for the rest of the run.
To say the least, I enjoyed the performance (and it appeared that everyone elde did too) and I recommend this production to you all.
LOVED IT
It was an extremely well balanced script, both in the contrasts of emotions and situations and in terms of lines per actor (no bit parts! - can you tell I act?). I laughed out loud several times (I'm not known for my voluble laughter at shows, but everyone else made up for it) and (I admit it, I'm a bit of a softy) I even felt a little lump in my throat and moist in the eyes in the sad bits.
The director (I know his name but I won't mention it to be fair to the rest of the company) pulled out some great moves (especially considering the fact that most of it is scripted sitting down at dinner tables in a bar) and at no time did I feel that anyone was gratuitously "gettingup" just to keep things moving. And i loved the dance scenes.
The set made excellent use of levels but I was a bit concerned by the obvious joins between flats. And I simply Loooved the art work.
The 5 actors did a great job. All sustained their characters and very little "corpsing" was noticeable, although I was a bit disappointed that the poor girl (who hadn't ever been on stage before) wasn't supported by the rest of the cast when she forgot her lines - the silence was long enough for us, I can't imagine how long it felt up there. I think she did herself proud in all other aspects. (to be balanced I must say that projection was a problem) And as I mentioned before the emotionally down bits were handled beautifully by the widow, and her acting? when overindulging was great ("morning sickness" just added that touch of realism) The third actress (who was in fact the first) recreated her role superbly with fantastic facial and vocal expressions which gave the character depth. The guys were a treat - the balance between macho and sensitive new age guy was extremely well played and they managed to convey the growth of their characters well - It's amazing how much of a character is revealed once people get a bit of alcohol under their belts.
The crew did well with a few little opening night hitches, but nothing serious and this bodes well for the rest of the run.
To say the least, I enjoyed the performance (and it appeared that everyone elde did too) and I recommend this production to you all.