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PILL IS GOOD OVERALL PLAY JUST OK Review by: , May 20, 2007 |
I WENT INTO THIS SHOW WITH HIGH EXPECTATIONS AND WAS A LITTLE DISAPPOINTED ESPECIALLY SINCE THE NY TIMES GAVE IT A 5 STAR REVIEW - THE STAGE WAS VERY COOL LIKE NOTHING I HAD SEEN BEFORE - ALISON PILL IS AN EXCELLENT ACTRESS AND I HAVE SEEN ALL HER OTHER WORK (ESPECIALLY THE LIUTENANT OF INISHMORE - ONE OF THE BEST PLAYS I HAVE EVER SEEN & I GO AT LEAST ONCE A WEEK)
ANYWAYS THE PLAY DOES GET GOOD AT TIMES BUT ALSO HAS IT'S ... read more FAULTS - THE RUNNING TIME IS TOO SHORT FOR SUCH A SUBJECT MATTER - JEFF DANIELS CHARACTER IS AT WORK AND HE STAYS IN THE BREAK LUNCH ROOM WITHOUT CONSEQUENCE - NO ONE ELSE IS CURIOUS AS TO WHAT GOES ON - OFFICE POLITICS DOES NOT SEEM TO EXIST IN THIS SCENARIO - I WOULD GIVE IT 3 1/2 STARS OUT OF 5 NOT 5 OUT OF 5 - HERE'S TO CONTINUED SUCCESS FOR ALISON PILL A TRUE STAR |
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Review by: Tom Bestor, May 6, 2007 |
The set of "Blackbird" looks like any ordinary office environment, a pre-fab, anonymous space that could be found in tens of thousands of offices anywhere. Bland carpet, nondescript furnishings, flourescent lighting and a suspended acoustical tile ceiling (including several with large, brown water stains, indicating a sense of neglect). The character Jeff Daniels plays, Ray, is also ordinary: a seemingly-average guy working for ... read more an average company.
Yet among all this ordinariness lurk dark secrets. As the play opens, Ray leads Una into a conference room or lunch room. The table is strewn with the detritus of several employees' meals. It's as if everyone left every bit of trash behind, leaving someone else to clean up their mess. These two elements -- the ordinariness and the mess no one is paying attention to -- are the heart of the message of "Blackbird." That message, I believe, is that what seems very ordinary, even pleasant and acceptable, can mask the presence of evil. The mess in the room at the beginning of the play (which ultimately gets much bigger) is a metaphor: that unless we learn to see what's really happening around us and take the initiative to do something, very bad things can result.
I don't want to say much about the plot, for fear of ruining the twists and turns, but suffice it to say Una and Ray had a previous relationship that did not end well, and Una has surprised Ray in his new life, where he now goes by the name Peter. Ultimately, this is a bit of a tough play: the subject matter is sensitive, the way it is dealt with is raw, and no quarter is given. No one is sparing your feelings.
There are still depths to the characters that Daniels and his co-star Allison Pill haven't quite plumbed (though to be honest, the show was still in previews, so this may change). Overall, though, the performances are excellent and the play well worth seeing. Just don't be looking for things to turn out the way you expect -- and certainly don't expect them to turn out well.
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