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A CurtainUp Review
Be A Good Little Widow
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Well I loved the band at your wedding! So romantic, the slow songs — it was fortunate you found a band, so quickly! It all happened so quickly!— Hope
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Chad Hoeppner, Wrenn Schmidt, and Jill Eikenberry
in Be a Good Little Widow
Photo: Ben Arons |
Melody and Craig are newlyweds who have recently moved to the Connecticut suburbs. Craig is a lawyer who is often on the road, Melody's a young woman settling into her new life, unsure of her present and future. Craig's mother Hope (an appropriately restrained Jill Eikenberry) is judgmental of her new daughter-in-law, and the tension only increases the more Melody tries to please.
Rounding out the cast is Brad (a charmingly tongue-tied Chad Hoeppner), Craig's aimless paralegal and a seemingly kindred spirit with the young bride. As the title gives away, Melody (a truly sweet Wrenn Schmidt) is whacked with tragedy. The real meat of the play shows the characters creating coping mechanisms, as well as flashbacks showcasing memorable moments from Craig and Melody's life together.
There is generally a lot to applaud here. Bekah Brunstetter's writing is very real so that you can forget it's actually written. As such, it's a little off-kilter, a little awkward; funny and melancholy. There is a real sense of love for the content in this production. The performers are unabashedly invested. Te set and lights a lovely but take a back seat to the action. The direction by Stephen Brackett is very tender and unobtrusive.
Please, go see this play while you can (it's a short run) — and works like it. It's sensitive, sophisticated writers like Brunstetter that theater keeps losing to film & TV. But maybe if we all support the work, they'll somehow stick around.
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Be A Good Little Widow Written by Bekah Brunstetter Directed by Stephen Brackett Cast: Jill Eikenberry, Chad Hoeppner, Jonny Orsini, Wrenn Schmidt Production Stage Manager Bryan Bradford Lighting Designer: Burke Brown Scenic Designer: Daniel Zimmerman Costume Designer: Jessica Pabst Sound Designer: Bart Fasbender Assistant Stage Manager: Catherine Anne Tucker Ars Nova, 511 West 54th Street www.arsnovanyc.com 212 352 3101 From April 20 - May 14, opening May 2 Tuesday through Saturdays @ 8 pm, Reviewed by Amanda Cooper based on 4/29/11 performance |
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Slings & Arrows-the complete set
You don't have to be a Shakespeare aficionado to love all 21 episodes of this hilarious and moving Canadian TV series about a fictional Shakespeare Company
