The Overwhelming

This powerful and educational performance is not to be missed. The subject is Africa - Rwanda circa 1994 to be exact. It's a reminder of all we Americans don't know, don't pay attention to, and/or don't care about. It's a perspective on the culture, the violence and the civil war that the rest of the world has either been involved with or known about for a long time. It's a powerful indictment of the American "know it all" culture.

Who is at fault? Who is telling the truth? What, if anything, can we do about it? Should we even be doing anything about it? Why should we think we can do anything about it?

Don't miss this performance at the Laura Pels Theater on 46th.

Absurd Person Singular

Mildly amusing, but overall I'm still baffled. Act One seems to be the "set-up" to something that would tie the next two acts together... But it just never quite materialized. Three Couples, Three Christmas Eves, Three Kitchens... But what was the "catch"? As the theater emptied slightly for the intermission for the First Act, I overhead a lady behind me asking "I hope this is going somewhere". I concurred. Unfortunately, it didn't and we were stuck in our seats to endure two more acts.

Paxton Whitehead had impeccable timing - he's a comedic gem! Clea Lewis was perky and funny - and also had a vocal affectation similar to The Nanny (Fran Dresher) or Jaaaaaanice (from "Friends") , but used it sparingly (so as not to annoy you as much as the aforementioned characters do). Deborah Rush barreled on and off the stage as the over-the-top, larger-than-life, glam-wife. Michele Enos has mastered the consummate drunk (two times in a row now - she just played the consummate young drunk wife in "Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf"). Everyone else was just... well... there.

What was missing? A cohesive plot. All I saw was three mildly funny vignettes with a bit of physical commedy and a few laughs with nothing but the same people that tied them all together. There was no "real story". No "catch". No "gotcha". No "Ah-Ha!"

After the third one - i started to think... Run... Don't Walk... (home, that is)!