| I recognized its flaws, and its occasional bloat, when I read the published text last September. It didn't stop me from attending both parts. And I'd be lying if I didn't admit my experience of the production was considerably deeper. Like most, I wept at critical junctures, all noted on this site. But I also much appreciated the craft, and some of the dialectical debates that others find too facile struck me as the heart of the piece. The big scene with Henry near the top of part 2, with the erupted line used in the TV spot now (so maybe it's not a spoiler): "There are no gay men my age!" had an earned power I've only seen in "Normal Heart" and stretches of "Angels." We're all weary of "Angels" comparisons, but when this play's storytelling digs into it's "Howards' End" source, it often finds genuine revelations on par with those plays' authors' highest peaks. I don't deny the purple sections are tinged with melodrama, but I still think Lopez has shaped something that mostly works, sometimes profoundly. This company carries this play 8 times a week, and makes a persuasive case. Don't wait, anyone still on the fence. |
