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Monday, March 26, 2007

Essential Self-Defense

photo: Joan Marcus

****
Playwrights Horizons

Though just as dark and pensive as his Red Light Winter, Adam Rapp's new play raises the fun bar by offering us colorful quirky characters in a wildly playful theatrical world. Like Jack Goes Boating at The Public, this play features a shy loserish loner pursuing another shy loserish loner. That's where the similarity ends though as this play is no romantic comedy but a sharp, borderline absurdist examination of fear in America. I would not be surprised if the two leading roles were written specifically for Paul Sparks and Heather Goldenhersch (a post-millennium amalgam of Carol Kane and Georgia Engel) as these two brilliant actors both bring SO MUCH in terms of characterization to this play. We have ourselves here a very imaginative, thought-provoking, very entertaining, very relevant play. Go see it.
Also blogged by [Patrick]

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Adam Rapp said at his book reading at Playwrights that the roles were written for Paul and Heather. :)

Anonymous said...

David: I love you to pieces but you're attempting to find meaning where there isn't anyway. This play is one of the worst things I've seen on a stage in years!! Playwrights Horizons needs new members for their artistic selection committee. They should offer a refund to their subscribers for this one!!! Bill A.