Check out these excerpts from Wendy Rosenfield's review of WHEN WE GO UPON THE SEA in today's Inquirer:
A Comedy About Issues
Bigger Than Bush
By Wendy Rosenfield
Friday, April 16, 2010
In this world-premiere production of Lee Blessing's When We Go Upon the Sea, commissioned by InterAct Theatre Company, George W. Bush ... will get his comeuppance and be exposed as the evildoer we knew he was all along. ... Wrong ... this isn't even really a drama about Bush, though it riffs on the former president's administration and personal history ... Instead, it's about power and servitude, God and his absence, and what we allow to step in and fill the void. ...
Blessing's parable owes much of its success to Paul Meshejian's direction - orchestration, really - which places the apostle Piet [(Peter Schmitz)] and his Mary Magdalen-like associate Anna-Lisa (Kim Carson) amid a metaphoric tide that rages and recedes according to George's humor. ... If [actor Conan] McCarty's blunt force powers the production, and Schmitz's steady unflappability anchors it, Carson provides its depth as a refugee seeking shelter from the global storm ...
Blessing (A Walk in the Woods, Thief River) raises more questions than he answers ... but that's OK. With the help of InterAct and its tireless advocacy for an audience of soul-searchers, the playwright implores Americans to take to the helm while our own shores are still relatively calm.
Links to more information about WHEN WE GO UPON THE SEA:
Read Audience Reactions in This Entry's Comments Section
Read Wendy Rosenfield's Full Review
Purchase Tickets
Play Description, Artist Bios & Performance Calendar
(including a talk-back with playwright Lee Blessing)
An Interview with Playwright Lee Blessing
Actor Conan McCarty on Playing George W. Bush
InterAct's 20/20 New Play Commission Program
Excellent play; one of the best this season. Bravo!
ReplyDeleteThis was an interesting play and well acted, though I thought the George Bush character could have been a little less caricaturish. Also, I would have liked to know more about Piet's personal story (as we found out about Anna Lisa).
ReplyDeleteI was pleasantly surprised that this play dealt not so much with George Bush's politics but rather with larger themes. You can enjoy this play regardless of your political views.
Thanks for an enjoyable evening of theater and good luck in NYC!
I agree that you can enjoy the play no matter what your political persuasion. The acting was first rate, and the play is very well written. We found it engaging and thought-provoking. Great overall production. Loved it.
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