 |
LOS ANGELES THEATRE REVIEWS |
|
|
|
| | | |  | |
|
The Subject Was Roses 
September 05,
2008
By Madeleine Shaner
Although this
Pulitzer- and Tony-winning intense family drama written by
Frank Gilroy was originally produced in 1964, it still has
resonance despite the intervening 44 years of accelerated
social change. Parents and children still stand on opposite
sides of the generational divide, family infighting is still
in major mode, and men and women still seem to exist on
different planets.
The
stultifying existence shared by Nettie (Ferrell
Marshall) and John Cleary (Peter
Karlin) in their cramped Bronx apartment is brought to a
festering head when 21-year-old Timmy (Danny Araujo) returns
home from World War II after three years in the U.S. Army.
Nettie is aching to mother him; John is itching to make a man
of him. The old poisons in the parents' relationship reach the
boiling point in the undercurrent of their battle for the
boy's soul, while neither feels love for the other anymore. As
Timmy's eyes are opened to the constant ugly friction in his
parents' marriage and the uncomfortable position it puts him
in, his decision to move out exacerbates the untenable
situation.
Araujo is sterling in
the difficult role of peacemaker between two warring nations.
The shattering of the unrealistic dream of "happy ever after"
is a bitter pill for this painfully troubled family to
swallow. Marshall gives a vitally sensitive performance as
Nettie, fully embracing the wounded identity of a loving woman
who has been sadly shortchanged in her marriage to a bitter
man who sees himself as a failure — as a provider, father, and
man. Karlin is totally effective as a harsh martinet with
sadly blunted antennae directed at those he blames for his
unhappiness.
Gilroy's skilled
writing translates stunningly to a story that's as up-to-date
as today's news. Kudos to Claudia Jaffee, who deserves much
credit for her superb direction of the tightly tempered drama on Stephen Gifford's suitably claustrophobic set.
Presented by West Coast Ensemble at the El
Centro Theatre, 800 N. El Centro Ave., Hollywood.
Tue.-Thu. 8 p.m. Aug. 26-Sep. 18. (323)
460-4443. www.tix.com.
|
| | | | | |
|
|
| MORE LIKE THIS |
|
|
|
|
|
I
Want My NY TV
September 08, 2008
The New York Television Festival
invites up-and-coming producers and content creators to
a series of free seminars, talks, and expert panels
featuring hands-on advice.
| |
|
| |
