Marc Miller takes a look at Jack Was King at Irish Repertory Theatre:
So in 1983 there was this little George Furth comedy on Broadway, The Supporting Cast, which didn't run long, but I enjoyed it immensely. The cast may have had a lot to do with that. I mean, check it out: Hope Lange, Sandy Dennis, Betty Garrett, Jack Gilford, and Joyce Van Patten. But it also had a compelling subject: What happens to the friends and relatives closest to famous people, how they affect their more iconic loved ones' lives and vice versa. I bring it up because that's more or less the theme of Tracy Thorne's solo show at Irish Repertory Theatre, Jack Was Kind, which she wrote. Thorne builds her story slowly, maybe too slowly, and even at 80 minutes, Jack Was Kind feels extended. It does have an effective climax; other than that, let's say it's no The Supporting Cast. |
