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The reviewers' opinions are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of TheatreLouisville.org.

Peer Reviews

The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds

A review by Kate Barry

Entire contents are copyright © 2008 Kate Barry. All rights reserved.

 

When someone asked me what play I was going to see on Friday night, a long strain of words sprang from my mouth. By the time I reached the word "marigold," I was staring at a confused face. At any rate, the title of Paul Zindel's Pulitzer Prize winning play often surpasses the actual play in popularity. The plot is quite simple, a formula for the Lifetime network and Oxygen. The play focuses on Beatrice, a jaded and bitter woman trying to make ends meet as well as desperately trying not to crack from the harsh realities of being a single woman. She raises two daughters: Tillie, a nerdy introvert, and Ruth, a loudmouth who has seizures. In addition to the two daughters, Beatrice lives with an old lady tenant named Nanny.

Elaine Hackett as Beatrice expressed a certain amount of anger and hostility to paint a clear picture of what was intended in the script. As for Sarah Meuler, who played Ruth, her off-the-wall singing and jumping about on stage made for an awkward character transition during scenes involving her seizures. Hannah Gregory was cute as Tillie, the hero of the play. As a young actress, she still has a lot to learn with her talent. Nonetheless, she warmed the scattered hearts in the audience as she found inner strength through her science experiments. This inner strength is the last glimmer of hope in her tragic and desolate household.

As Yet Unnamed Theatre must have had some courage to schedule a play on Memorial Day weekend, which happened to be Abbey Road on the River as well. The audience was less than stellar in size, as it was mostly family and friends of the cast. Regardless of the size of the audience, the cast was devoted to their characters and the message of hope in time of tragedy.

 

The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds
The As Yet Unnamed Theatre Company
Kentucky Center of the Arts
MeX Theater
May 23-24, 30-31 @ 8pm
May 25 and June 1 @ 2:30pm

http://www.myspace.com/ayutc

Tickets: 584-7777

Posted May 28, 2008