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Disclaimer:
The reviewers' opinions are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of TheatreLouisville.org. |
Peer Reviews If A Man Answers Adapted by David Rogers
Little Colonel Players opened the second production of its season, If A Man Answers, last night. A comedy in three acts that finds its source in a novel published in 1960 by soap opera scribe Winifred Wolfe, the plot details the whirlwind courtship and marriage of a young couple in New York city and the bride's attempts to condition her husband using a canine training manual. Of course, he discovers the scheme and seeks a tepid revenge. I confess I struggled to comprehend any reason to do this play other than the sheer inoffensiveness of the bland, outdated material. To watch characters enact such an archaic, superficial battle of the sexes without the benefit of a distinct period context was awkward at best. The fact that this scenario is most famous as a mediocre and largely forgotten Sandra Dee and Bobby Darin movie vehicle sums up perfectly the nature of the piece. Perhaps more experienced players might have overcome the script's shortcomings, but the unseasoned, if game cast struggled to find a consistent tone and often fumbled their lines. Perhaps it was opening night jitters, and technical difficulties with lighting and the curtains in Little Colonel Playhouse were an unwelcome distraction that did them no favors, but most of the actors never moved past a one-note performance. Director Mike Seely has given us better efforts, certainly as an actor, but also as a director, and I look forward to any future project that realizes his talents more fully.
If A Man Answers Posted Nov. 14, 2008
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