René Grayre
  • Home
  • Theatre Reviews
  • Galleries
    • Philippe Staib Gallery
    • The Space at 8 Greene
    • Rostaing/Steinitz/Grayre Gallery
    • Chautauqua Institution
    • Robert Steele Gallery
  • Gallery Press
  • From Me 2 U
    • FM2U Exhibition
  • The Steamroller Project:
  • Contact

A Piece of My Heart (The Onomatopoeia Theatre Company)

10/25/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture


Well intentioned, Lifeless, Flat, Cramped, Slow



​See it if
 You're a fan of Shirley Lauro's work & care to hear what sounds like an uncut reading of her script in an evening that's more tell than show
Don't see it if You don't know the story; much is belabored & much won't be clear. Also, if you're familiar with any other versions, this will fall short.
Also Director Gordon has managed to make the worst of an awkward and difficult space, for the most part trapping the cast onto a cramped, noisy three-step platform along the house-left wall. Huddled together at times in often severe lighting, the young actors often seem left to their own devices. 

As directed, they stomp around the set, repeatedly acting out unnecessary physical details (carrying benches as gurneys, pantomiming bandages, etc.) and endlessly sorting out obvious, needless small costume changes, they never cohere into an ensemble of any sort, or even seem to come to terms with the audience—is there a fourth wall or not? 

Also, for a company whose notes claim a heavy focus on sound, there's a distinct lack of music, the unifying language of the 60's and the main reason for the Maryjo character.

Unusual for two productions of a play to run in a season, this version pales next to the earlier thought-through Little Spoon Big Spoon one; it's an educational, unfortunate contrast.


0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    RGrayre
    ​   eviews

    Archives

    June 2021
    March 2020
    February 2019
    July 2018
    February 2018
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

© René Grayre All rights reserved