A delicious meal is being served up at
Playwrights Horizons upstairs in the
Peter Jay Sharp Theater.
Dan LeFranc's new play is about life, or more appropriately life - fast forward - and it's a 90 minute sprint thru the generations spawned by Sam and Nicole from first date to life's end. It's about family, friends, fighting, and fidelity. It's about looking at the big picture rather than dwelling on the tiny details.
And yet, Director,
Sam Gold, lets no detail go unnoticed. Mr. LeFranc's poignant dialogue is well constructed and realistically links the many generations together thru many a small detail - a locket, a yellow ribbon, cocktails, and photographs to name a few. I must admit, on a few occasions, I got a little confused as to who was who and where in the chain of the family we were. Mr. Gold's duty, and anyone who helms this play in the future, is to do as much as they can to ensure the audience is following along exactly as Mr. LeFranc intended.
The actors - a cast of eight plus one - navigate the characters, seamlessly and creatively transforming and transitioning themselves from generation to generation. (
Anita Gillette and
Tom Bloom;
Jennifer Mudge and
David Wilson Barnes;
Phoebe Strole and
Cameron Scoggins;
Rachel Resheff and
Griffin Birney) The main device employed here is that as the characters age, the entire cast all jump a level down to play the same character just played by a younger actor to simulate the aging process and allow a younger generation to enter the dynamic and propel the story forward. (See, even trying to explain it gets complicated. Imagine watching it at full-throttle!). Everyone was delightful but especially-so was the always-lovely
Anita Gillette who ends the show on one of most poignant and thoughtful moments I've seen in the theatre in a long time.
The play, with such a swift pace, often comes to a
dead stop (pun intended) when a meal is served and while there are no surprises here, it's always a moment to pause and reflect (kudos
Molly Ward - the only actor to play a single, constant character).
Stop over to
Playwrights Horizons and join the audience each night to fill your soul with some perspective on a life - with the fast forward button firmly engaged.
And yet, Director, Sam Gold, lets no detail go unnoticed. Mr. LeFranc's poignant dialogue is well constructed and realistically links the many generations together thru many a small detail - a locket, a yellow ribbon, cocktails, and photographs to name a few. I must admit, on a few occasions, I got a little confused as to who was who and where in the chain of the family we were. Mr. Gold's duty, and anyone who helms this play in the future, is to do as much as they can to ensure the audience is following along exactly as Mr. LeFranc intended. 
The actors - a cast of eight plus one - navigate the characters, seamlessly and creatively transforming and transitioning themselves from generation to generation. (Anita Gillette and Tom Bloom; Jennifer Mudge and David Wilson Barnes; Phoebe Strole and Cameron Scoggins; Rachel Resheff and Griffin Birney) The main device employed here is that as the characters age, the entire cast all jump a level down to play the same character just played by a younger actor to simulate the aging process and allow a younger generation to enter the dynamic and propel the story forward. (See, even trying to explain it gets complicated. Imagine watching it at full-throttle!). Everyone was delightful but especially-so was the always-lovely Anita Gillette who ends the show on one of most poignant and thoughtful moments I've seen in the theatre in a long time.
The play, with such a swift pace, often comes to a dead stop (pun intended) when a meal is served and while there are no surprises here, it's always a moment to pause and reflect (kudos Molly Ward - the only actor to play a single, constant character). 
Zack Braff's new play, All New People, feels more like an episode of Scrubs than an evening in the theatre. Don't get me wrong - it was pretty good - certainly well acted - but the comedy reminded me something for a TV set rather than a stage. 
Braff certainly has an ear for comedy, but I'm thinking it's misplaced on the stage. With the introduction (or perhaps i should say abrupt interruptions) of movie-quality back story video projected on a large white wall, Braff and director, Peter DuBois, confuse you. The scenes were not just video clips. They were actual scenes in the play - indispensable to the story. Seemed to me like the entire play could have been packaged up for a movie. And for the record, I wouldn't be surprised it it's not already been optioned.
Gina Gionfriddo must have a penchant for psychology and therapy. It seems just about every one of her characters is a case study in "weird". Don't get me wrong - i liked the show. David Wilson Barnes (Lieutenant of Inishmore), Emily Bergl (Some Americans Abroad, A Touch of the Poet), Annie Parisse (Prelude to a Kiss, TV Law and Order), Thomas Sadoski (Reckless) and Kelly Bishop (Original cast, Sheila in A Chorus Line), pull off a funny, quirky, and entertaining rendition of "everyone has problems and life happens".
