What the Night is For

USER (18Nov02): This play is well written and the script really captures the essence of the middle age period of marriage and all the doubts and fears that come across an otherwise happy scenario on the outside. You can't help but emphatize with what you are watching. Anyone 40 and over can relate to the ineuendo's embedded in this play easily. It is "reality" with a comic twist. I give this play a "4" largely for its potential since it is still in the preview stage. Yes, Anderson does seem to shout at times as she does not bear Allum's seasoned theater voice. BUT, remember Gillian was still in her mother's womb when Roger was studying theater and drama if I am guessing his age right. You won't notice too much because her acting is just getting better and better in this realm. The beauty of this 2-man production is that Anderson, after only less than two weeks, is starting to react within her role and is molding part of herself into Mindy and she is quite an interesting lady. Allum reacts with great enthusiasm as if they were "for real" and you were just standing on the opposite corner watching the interaction. It is obvious that Roger Allum adores Anderson's antics (oftimes not in the script)and this makes this good actor's work all the more charming. These two definetly enjoy each other on stage and after a rough start the play is becoming something I have not seen in any two party adventures--it is great fun! Gillian Anderson is beginning to show that she has the diversity of acting skill necessary to carry a dramatic lead in hard core theater. The most important validation of any play is how well the audience is brought into the scenes. Well, on that note this play is currently off the board with audience reaction. Audiences during the last weekend matinee were sucked right up into the stage carpeting. A pin dropping could have been heard during the serious parts and as for the comic relief--the audience caught every ineundo and added some audience participation with their own staging of oohs... and ahass.. If good acting means bringing the audience up on stage with the actors then this play has got that. The play starts out somewhat slow in the first scenes but if you hang around its gets better by scene two and when the curtain rises following intermission, what seems to be a little lack of genuine acting on the part of Anderson turns your head around with a nice surprise. You get it and it falls into place making the whole thing even more sweet as it keeps you wondering and thinking--something other two man scenarios do not do. All-in-all if you want good acting, spiced up with plenty of the actors own personalities, staged in an environment where two people truely like each other and are having fun entertaining you--then this is a MUST choice. I am a conosiour of the arts whether that word is spelled right or not and have seen the difference with this one. With a little more seasoning in the beginning acts and the continual level of emotional activity being produced up on that stage this one has great potential. So buy a ticket, expect to be laughing and dumbfounded in silence at the same time and be highly entertained by two people who are making this nicely written piece of reality seem as though it is you up there with them. From an older and highly critical individual who visits the theater district each weekend this says alot. I have seen it more than once and have yet to get bored or not experience something different during these previews.