Production History
Below is a a summary of five reviews of previous productions of The Book Club Play along with my thoughts about what I took away from each. To read the specific review in full click the heading of the article.
July 14, 2008 – Berkshire Theatre Festival, Stockbridge, Massachusetts. Review by Frank Rizzo
(+) “some sizeable laughs”
(-) “plot felt stretched and strained”
“comic riffs have little connection to the play”
My thoughts: While I disagree with the comment about the comic riffs not connecting to the play, I do think the script mixes different styles of comedy that may make things difficult to track at times if not careful. It is also interesting that instead of a documentary, a college thesis was used as the plot vehicle.
January 12, 2005 – Dallas Theatre Company, Dallas, Texas. Review by Jan Farrington
(+) “surprising script pops off the page”
(-) None
My thoughts: This review mentions the play has the feel off a reality show. Our production is leaning toward the documentary-styled presentation, but the connection to reality tv may be unavoidable.
March 5, 2017 – Freight Depot Theatre, Cambridge, New York. Review by J. Peter Bergman
(+) None
(-) The actors are described as being “overbearing and endlessly posing.” The actors playing Ana and Will were called out as being “flaccid.”
My thoughts: The portrayal of the characters is concerning because it is easy to understand how one could read the play and thing these characters should be over the top. But the best way to bring the comedy out is to play them as serious as possible. As Zacarias states in her notes, “The funny should come from the humanity of the characters.”
October 17, 2011 – Arena Stage, Washington D.C. Review by Sarah Ameigh
(+) Great acting performances; especially from the actor playing Ana.
Well-developed characters.
(-) None.
Notes: The lobby display was found to be very effective with this reviewer. I plan on making my lobby display interactive.
October 17, 2011 – Arena Stage, Washington D.C. Review by Peter Marks
(+) Decent amount of laughs.
(-) Characters are not well-developed.
Costumes come off as mere “window dressing.”
My thoughts: Costumes can play a bigger role than expected. Perhaps subtle is best?
This is the second review from the same production and same date. One stated the characters were well-developed and this one disagreed completely. Just something to be aware of. Maybe remember we just peoples’ experiences are largely out of our control.
(+) “some sizeable laughs”
(-) “plot felt stretched and strained”
“comic riffs have little connection to the play”
My thoughts: While I disagree with the comment about the comic riffs not connecting to the play, I do think the script mixes different styles of comedy that may make things difficult to track at times if not careful. It is also interesting that instead of a documentary, a college thesis was used as the plot vehicle.
January 12, 2005 – Dallas Theatre Company, Dallas, Texas. Review by Jan Farrington
(+) “surprising script pops off the page”
(-) None
My thoughts: This review mentions the play has the feel off a reality show. Our production is leaning toward the documentary-styled presentation, but the connection to reality tv may be unavoidable.
March 5, 2017 – Freight Depot Theatre, Cambridge, New York. Review by J. Peter Bergman
(+) None
(-) The actors are described as being “overbearing and endlessly posing.” The actors playing Ana and Will were called out as being “flaccid.”
My thoughts: The portrayal of the characters is concerning because it is easy to understand how one could read the play and thing these characters should be over the top. But the best way to bring the comedy out is to play them as serious as possible. As Zacarias states in her notes, “The funny should come from the humanity of the characters.”
October 17, 2011 – Arena Stage, Washington D.C. Review by Sarah Ameigh
(+) Great acting performances; especially from the actor playing Ana.
Well-developed characters.
(-) None.
Notes: The lobby display was found to be very effective with this reviewer. I plan on making my lobby display interactive.
October 17, 2011 – Arena Stage, Washington D.C. Review by Peter Marks
(+) Decent amount of laughs.
(-) Characters are not well-developed.
Costumes come off as mere “window dressing.”
My thoughts: Costumes can play a bigger role than expected. Perhaps subtle is best?
This is the second review from the same production and same date. One stated the characters were well-developed and this one disagreed completely. Just something to be aware of. Maybe remember we just peoples’ experiences are largely out of our control.