I wish I liked the play and production more as I'm a huge fan of both Harmon and Cromer. I found too much of the dialogue overly didactic and some of the scenes (Marcelle berating Elodie) and monologues (Elodie in the cafe) went on for too long; and the ending (the singing at the piano) felt facile and somewhat unearned. The writing does have brilliant moments, I just wanted more from Harmon about what it means to be a non-observing Jew today. And did the play really need to be 3&1/4 hours?
As for the staging, some of it seemed uncharacteristically clumsy for Cromer, especially the transitions. Perhaps this was due to a somewhat clunky set design and some muddy lighting. The cast, however, as sergius noted, is sublime and it was especially wonderful to be introduced to so many actors, old and young, who were new to me. |
