- THE VIOLET HOUR
- Lillian Theatre
- Reviewed By Robert Axelrod
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The time is April Fool’s Day,
1919. Fledgling book publisher John Pace Seavering is faced with a
dilemma. He’s only got the means to publish one book, but he has two
authors to whom he is obliged. His college buddy, Denny brings him a
manuscript that he’s carting around in three crates. If he doesn’t get
published, he won’t be able to marry the enchanting Rosamund Plinth, an
heiress with a taste for the good life. Then there’s John’s mistress,
Jessie Brewster, a popular black jazz singer, who is hot to get her just
written memoirs published so she can attain immortality. Add to this, the
arrival of a mysterious machine (off stage) that is spewing out pages and
pages of material that is predicting the future and we have the premise of
Richard Greenberg’s THE VIOLET HOUR, now at the Lillian Theatre.
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- Is this the makings of a good old April
Fool’s Day farce? Should be. But instead, author Greenberg gives us a
drawing room philosophical-like serio-comedy that’s intelligent enough
but bogs down in its own wordiness. The performances are less than
remarkable considering the verbose material. Travis Schuldt plays
Seavering straight ahead as does Peter Larney with his buddy McCleary.
Karole Forman is okay as Jessie Brewster. Buck Zachary as Seavering’s
put upon assistant Gidger touches all the bases in the part, and Lisa
Valerie Morgan is smiley and charming as heiress Rosamund Plinth. My
problem is, there was nothing exceptional about either the
performances or the play itself. Everyone hits the marks and doesn’t
run into the furniture. Director Darin Anthony stages the piece well
enough, but doesn’t recognize the need to come up with some
exceptional innovations somewhere.
The Lillian Theatre is the
niftiest theatre on Theatre Row, with its stage jutting out into the
audience in an almost V shape. Joel Daavid’s set depicting Seavering’s
newly occupied, disheveled office, is tops. Shon Le Blanc’s costumes are
spot-on accurate to the time period and other tech credits are fine. What
my evening lacked was any sense of excitement or anticipation towards
“what’s going to happen next”. Author Greenberg gives us occasional
chuckles as Seavering journeys to a solution to his dilemma, where there
should have been some belly laughs.
THE VIOLET HOUR plays now through
March 13th, 2011; Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 PM, Sundays at 3 PM, at
the Lillian Theater, 6322 Santa Monica Blvd (entrance on Lillian Way),
Hollywood, 90038. Call (323) 960-1054 or visit
www.plays411.com/violethour
for tickets and information.
Comments? Write to us at:
Letters@ReviewPlays.Com
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