SITE GUIDE
SEARCH
REVIEWS
REVIEW ARCHIVES
ADVERTISING AT CURTAINUP
FEATURES
NEWS
Etcetera and
Short Term Listings
LISTINGS
Broadway
Off-Broadway
NYC Restaurants
BOOKS and CDs
OTHER PLACES
Berkshires
London
California
New Jersey
DC
Philadelphia
Elsewhere
QUOTES
TKTS
PLAYWRIGHTS' ALBUMS
LETTERS TO EDITOR
FILM
LINKS
MISCELLANEOUS
Free Updates
Masthead
A CurtainUp Review
Deathbed
|
You expect something life-changing to change your life. . .but it all stays the same.
|
Clifton Guterman and Brandon Miller in Deathbed
|
review continues below
At a bracing fifty minutes, every word counts, and Schultz's minimalist style of dialogue is readily apparent. However, it's so minimalist that it becomes choppy. Perhaps this is, an attempt for some sort of linguistic hyper-realism, but the play itself is too rooted in reality to break free of naturalism. As a result, everything feels choppy and forced. The short scenes (most under three minutes) don't help.
The playwright has tackled a difficult subject, so kudos for that. Everything we see is oncerned with death or dying or other tragic events, as chronicled through the lives of several different people, intersecting in various ways. One is dying of cancer, and her husband is too creeped out to stay with her. Another has just dumped her loser boyfriend, then finds out her grandfather intends to commit suicide. Two characters are gay and lonely and desperately unhappy. On the periphery of these tragedies are two suburban women in a hospital waiting room, commiserating over a "very sad" book (which may or may not be the play unfolding in front of us). Josh Epstein's brutal lighting—if you've ever been to a hospital waiting room, you know the lighting I'm talking about—lends an added layer of desperation to the proceedings.
The actors seem occasionally unsure of their place in the world, which could be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on whether it's intentional. However, the cast is solid and Wendy C. Goldberg's direction seems assured even though there isn't a lot to work with.
Loss and death are overwhelming subjects that even the longest play couldn't adequately address. Not that Schultz is aiming to create the definitive play on death, but Deathbed is a little too hesitant. At times it's like his last one in that it has an unclear relationship to reality, but that doesn't help when dealing with such weighty issues.
Links
Everything Will Be Different
|
Deathbed Written by Mark Schultz Directed by Wendy C. Goldberg With Ross Bickel, Charlotte Booker, Emily Donahoe, Clifton Guterman, Ryan King, Brandon Miller, Patricia Randell, Christa Scott-Reed, and Jonathan Walker Scenic Design: Alexander Dodge Costume Design: Anne Kennedy Lighting Design: Josh Epstein Music and Sound Design: Ryan Rumery Running Time: Fifty minutes, with no intermission Apparition Productions, McGinn/Cazale Theatre, 2162 Broadway; 212-352-3101 Tuesday and Sunday at 7 pm; Wednesday through Saturday at 8 pm; Saturday at 4 pm Tickets $45 Through March 1st Reviewed by Jenny Sandman based on February 6th performance |
Try onlineseats.com for great seats to
Wicked
Jersey Boys
The Little Mermaid
Lion King
Shrek The Musical
The Playbill Broadway YearBook
Leonard Maltin's 2007 Movie Guide
Wicked
Jersey Boys
The Little Mermaid
Lion King
Shrek The Musical
The Playbill Broadway YearBook
Leonard Maltin's 2007 Movie Guide