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The reviewers' opinions are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of TheatreLouisville.org. |
Reviews Dinner With Friends Written by Donald Margulies Reviewed by Keith Waits Entire contents copyright © 2009, Keith Waits. All rights reserved. Having begun its life in the 1998 Humana Festival of New American Plays, Dinner with Friends has returned to this area in a new production at Little Colonel's Playhouse. The insightful comedy-drama about two married couples, best of friends, and the impact the dissolution of one of the marriages has on all four individuals, won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2000.It is a story that explores the detail and nuance of long-term relationships and uses these observations to unearth deeply buried truths about how we choose to confront or deny doubts about our own happiness. After Beth and Tom end their 12-year marriage in infidelity and heartbreak, they move through pain into self-discovery, while their close friends Gabe and Karen cling to their comfortable existence together, perhaps afraid to question their domestic bliss for fear they might make their own discoveries. It is a powerful and intimate play that is a good choice for the small, cozy confines of the Little Colonel Playhouse. Although the production is far from perfect, the four cast members work earnestly to play the material for what its worth. As Gabe and Karen, Dan Canon and Beth Olliges might come off a little shallow at first; he a bit too glib and her a tad chirpy, but eventually their lack of introspection and embrace of mediocrity help make sense of the denial and acceptance their "successful" relationship depends upon to survive. Jamie Lentz and Jon Adams are stronger in the slightly more complex roles of Beth and Tom. Once they open their hearts and minds to the emptiness of their marriage, they believe they have found their first "true" happiness in the arms of new and more exciting lovers. During the moments where Tom explains his interior struggle and desperate attempts to refresh his life, Mr. Adams was particularly effective in rooting out the foundation of his character and illustrating the human cost of his choices. By play's end, it is left for the audience to decide who, if any, of the four characters might seem to be most assuredly on the road to true fulfillment. The pace of the production was on track in the first act, but suffered somewhat towards the end, yet the physical blocking was sound and the actors moved cleanly through their scenes. More problematic was the efficient but haphazardly designed set. Although it adequately functioned as six different settings with minimal changes between scenes, the choices of colors and fabrics, particularly in the two bedroom scenes, seemed random and disconnected from the emotional tone of the text. Despite its flaws, this is a mostly successful production of a rich and rewarding play that deserves to be seen again.
Dinner With Friends The Little Colonel Players
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