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Disclaimer:
The reviewers' opinions are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of TheatreLouisville.org. |
Peer Reviews Beau
Jest
With its new production of Beau Jest, Bunbury Theatre returns to the work of playwright James Sherman, after scoring some success last season with The God of Isaac. Jest strikes me as the lesser of the two scripts, a slight comedy that plays like an episode of a middling sitcom. The story centers on the efforts of a young woman, Sarah Goldman, to satisfy her parents' expectations for her to marry a nice Jewish man, by paying an actor to play the role of the ideal match. The deceit and subterfuge naturally create complications, from which much of the comedy is mined.
Eventually there is a worthwhile point to explore about our understanding of ourselves and how we imagine our parents see us, but it must be reached after much strained comedy that seemed often a little clichéd. I suppose many might find the material funny, and there was some laughter honestly earned, but the predictability of the writing robbed the play of any surprise or spontaneity. The cast struggles to strike a spark and does manage to create a few good moments along the way. As Sarah, Leah Roberts was a charming presence, and although she played the comedy a little too strenuously in the beginning, she relaxed more after the first scene. Ted Lesley was reliably smart and observant as her paid escort, Bob. Ann-Marie Alexander and Juergen Tossmann display fair timing and delivery as Sarah's parents, and Sean Childress strolls comfortably through the role of her soon-to-be-ex-boyfriend. But perhaps because the material fails them, we have seen stronger work from all of these performers. Andy Epstein, as Sarah's brother Joel, manages to register a natural, unforced effort, never letting the audience see "the wheels turning." The set design by Steve Woodring was another highlight, providing a fully realized depiction of a one-bedroom apartment in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood, and the production was mounted with technical facility in Bunbury's fine space in the Henry Clay building, but overall this is a disappointment.
Beau Jest Posted Oct. 16, 2008
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