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Photo by Don Kellogg

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

The Assembled Parties

A top notch cast.  And Judith Light still all but stole the show.  Set over 20 years, this family drama reveals the good, the bad, and the ugly of a Jewish family who celebrates Christmas.

A tad bit long, but nonetheless thoroughly enjoyable, the parties reveal themselves bit by bit, usually through laughter and familial jabs.  Jessica Hecht leads the family as its sultry, sophisticated patriarch with aplomb.  Mark Blum and Jonathan Walker aptly embody the family secrets.

Act 1 takes place in 1980 and Act 2 takes place 20 years later in the same 14 room apartment on the Upper West Side.  A lot has changed in 20 years but still again, some things remain the same.

When the parties assemble for the holidays, nobody knows for sure what will happen, except to say, a great meal will undoubtedly be served an a vodka will be poured.