CurtainUp
The Internet Theater Magazine of Reviews, Features,
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CurtainUp The Internet Theater Magazine of Reviews, Features,
Annotated Listings |
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A CurtainUp Review
Miles For Mary
And anyone who has ever been at a faculty meeting will immediately recognize the characters sitting around a folding table as high school teachers: Sandra (Stephanie Wright Thompson), David (Michale Dalto), Rod (Joe Curnutte), Ken (Marc Bovino) and Julie (Stacy Yen); also Brenda (Amy Staats), heard via the telephone as she is unable to join the rest because of injuries incurred during an accident the past summer. Their passive-aggressive digs, their pettiness, their socially correct hypocrisy are all dead giveaways. Although their affect might make one think the teachers are planning some world-shattering event, they are actually discussing the upcoming Garrison High School annual Miles for Mary Telethon. They cover such topics as budget, theme, programming and phone training, but the event is not nearly as important as the interactions of the teachers who are planning it. Ken and Julie have an uneasy marriage. David, the temporary head of the committee, is resented by Ken, who thinks he is patronizing to everyone, but most especially, Julie. Rod, the alpha male, is not too bright, and makes his points mostly in irrelevant outbursts. Sandra is filled with ideas she believes in much more than the others. Brenda is having a hard time asserting authority over the phone. The main comedic element lies in our pleasure of watching grownups behave like children and intelligent grownups behave like fools. The main dramatic element is anticipation of the blowup we are sure will eventually occur. Certainly, under the capable direction of Lila Neugebauer, this is ensemble acting at its best. Each actor knows exactly who he or she is and how to behave within the group. The problem is that with nothing really at stake— no important problem that has to be resolved, no major conflict beneath the bickering — this staged meeting eventually becomes as boring and endless as such meetings are in real life. If the teachers at Garrison High School seem more interested in airing their ideas about the telethon than the actual telethon, surely the audience is even less involved with the event. Nevertheless, much of the teachers' bickering is quite funny. The fact that many in the audience at the performance I attended did find the play entertaining is the triumph of style over substance. |
Search CurtainUp in the box below PRODUCTION NOTES Created by The Mad Ones Directed by Lila Neugebauer Cast: Marc Bovino (Ken); Joe Curnutte (Rod); Michael Dalto (David); Amy Staats (Brenda); Stephanie Wright Thompson (Sandra); Stacy Yen (Julie) Scenic Design: Amy Rubin Costume Design: Asta Bennie Hostetter Lighting Design: Mike Inwood Sound Design: Stowe Nelson Production Stage Manager: John C. Moore Running Time: 1 hour 40 minutes, no intermission Playwrights Horizons' Peter Jay Sharp Theater (416 West 42nd Street) From 1/11/18; opening 1/22/18; closing 2/25/18 Tuesdays through Fridays at 7:30 PM, Saturdays at 2 & 7:30 PM and Sundays at 2 & 7PM Tickets: $20-$65, www.ticketcentral.com Reviewed by Paulanne Simmons Jan. 20, 2018 REVIEW FEEDBACK Highlight one of the responses below and click "copy" or"CTRL+C"
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Stephanie Wright Thompson, Marc Bovino, Michael Dalto, Stacey Yen, Joe Curnutte (Photo: The Mad Ones)