RE:Riveting first act, but then...
The cast was excellent, and it was wonderful to see Jeremy Sisto continue to stretch himself as an actor... I cant offhand remember a more riveting first act, and the applause was long and loud at its end. Much of the audience seemed to stay in its seats for the intermission for, wanting to see what happens. And for a while I stayed with the author, giving him the benefit of the doubt as he pulled in themes from unexpected places and led us to unexpected moments. I was getting restive because as 20 years go by there is a secondary character who doesnt mature at all in terms of forgiveness or even a different view of a disappointing crucial figure on his life. Then about 2/3rds of the way through the second act another character starts to exit the stage, then turns around and delivers a monologue that turns what had been a mostly realistic play into a surrealistic one. It was not a good transition and the author quickly lost me and my five companions. There was polite applause at the end but not more, yet most of the evening had been marvelous. The author needed a better dramaturge, or an out-of-town tryout. But if you are serious about drama, go see it for the quality of the first part of the play.

Spirit Control on Sunday, Oct 17th, 2010