| Took in the production this afternoon too. Had a different opinion. Not only was the play relatable to parents and offspring but so many of the moments in the play truly brought back memories of our home movies, of how we grow apart and grow close to our parents, of reconciliation and understanding, and all done with great humor and inteliigence. The mixture of comedy, which came from the interplay of the parents and their photographer son, and pathos was a very satisfying dramatic achievement. I know that I'll think differently as to how I will grill at my next family gathering! (that's a semi-spoiler). I can't praise the actors enough- Nathan Lane is at his finest, a brilliantly nuanced performance; Danny Burstein isn't just a genius at musicals ("Fiddler on the Roof", "Moulin Roge") but give a poignant performance as the son struggling to find his way into the photo memoir he intends to write, and Zoe Wanamaker is like a trapeze artist, skillfully and wrryly balancing the men against one another. Bart Sher again proves, as he has over the years from"Awake and Sing" to "To Kill a Mockingbird" that he is one of our finest straight play directors, though we associate him so strongly with musical revivals like "The King and I" and "South Pacific". Can't wait to see his "Camelot" later this year. The audience really seemed to go with it...my thinking, not having heard too much about it, is that this could be a surprise "sleeper" hit. |
