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Monday, June 14, 2010

Before Your Very Eyes

Before Your Very Eyes was written and directed by Edward Elefterion. The director part of him did no favors to the playwright part, and the playwright did no favors to the director--and neither was of any help to the actors. The play starts on September 11, 2001. First we hear in the dark a difficult-to-understand phone message, then the lights come up on two women over-indicating shock and horror. It gradually becomes clear that Kate is listening to a message from Lakshmi's husband for Lakshmi, who is too scared to listen herself. One of their husbands comes home; one doesn't. The rest of the play examines the ways that 9/11 haunted and changed the lives of the people who were there, as well as their loved ones. Unfortunately, Before Your Very Eyes chooses bombast over dialogue, emoting over acting, stick figures over well-developed characters, and half-assed conspiracy theories over reasonable debate.

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