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The Infliction of Cruelty Reviews
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| 1 |
Encore! Review by: Impressed in Chelsea, Aug 31, 2006 |
The Infliction of Cruelty is a thought provoking and insightful play that provides the audience with an insight into a tragically flawed family. The most tragic part of this family is that they have the capacity to avoid being flawed. This is evident by the creative and intellectual script that exposes the audience to unique characters that are brilliant but more importantly completely aware of the fragility of the human mind.
Based on ... read more the NYT article, I read that Infliction is the writers’ first play. I find this hard to believe, since the play flowed as if written by old hands. Overall, I found the acting to be crisp which provided life to the carefully crafted words of the writers.
I walked away thinking and talking about this play with my friends. We analyzed different parts of the play and argued over others. When I go to a play, I am always looking for a special play that provides the audience with food for the brain and delight for the eyes. This well produced and sharply written play has both of these ingredients.
Indulge yourself and go see the Infliction of Cruelty.
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My recommendation:
must see!
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Large Group
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| 2 |
utterly inauthentic show, reflected in bad acting. Review by: jose the chicken, Aug 29, 2006 |
this is one pompous show in a clever disguise. no educated, actually clever person talks like any of these actors in that show (only in their cliche version), of which you only realise in the end, that there is no point to it. the macguffin turns out to be a big cheat on the audience. there is simply no story in these two loooong hours here. and absolutely no chemistry between the actors. i assume the positive reviews below have been written ... read more by people >65 whose revolution was sometime in the first half of last century. the utter lack of conviction in the actors' performances speaks volumes about the lack of connection they apparently felt to the play's material.
The two playwrights should go back to what they do best: journalism and practising law. |
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My recommendation:
Don't go
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| 3 |
Bravo Review by: Rose, Aug 28, 2006 |
After reading the last review, I wonder how one could possibly ask such an inane question? Of course children think a traumatic event such as adultery is about them. They were children. It was extremely painful for them; therefore, they considered it to be about them. That's what children, and most adults, assume when they are hurt. Whether it's selfish or not, that is reality.
Moving on, "The Infliction of Cruelty" is great theatre.... read more. The actors performed intricate dialogue without effort, easing the audience into their emotional heaven and hell with surprising comedy and grace. I look forward to more work by Sean McManus and Andrew Unterberg. Bravo!
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My recommendation:
must see!
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| 4 |
Funny, literate, with a talented, attractive cast Review by: msk, Aug 28, 2006 |
| A fun show, it's entertaining and moves quickly. Well-directed, it has enough movement so that it never feels boxed into the one-room set. Would definitely recommend to friends. |
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must see!
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I saw this show with:
Large Group
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Recommended for:
Romantic Date, Business Assoc., Adults
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Lots of script holes Review by: Alice and Tim, Aug 27, 2006 |
| Why did these 4 characters feel a father's affair was all about them? Selfish, unrealistic. |
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Don't go
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nice try. needs work. Review by: Darwin, Aug 27, 2006 |
This play revolves around characters who want revenge. What's the revenge? Silence. Not at all interesting for a two-hour play. Nice looking actors (with some inconsistent costuming on a dreadful set). This show needs some work. Or a stronger idea. The dialogue has its moments. We left wonderfing, "what was the point?"
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My recommendation:
Don't go
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I saw this show with:
Large Group
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| 7 |
Kudos to cast and crew Review by: Roger M, Aug 27, 2006 |
Excellent from top to bottom. Kudos to this entire cast who prove that great drama is still alive, and running marathons below the glare of 42nd Street. On the way out of the show I couldn't help but to hear, on more than one occasion, that this show was worth more than a one-hundred dollar Broadway seat.
Its appeal is due to ALL involved, with a cast that evokes the kind of pathos you'd expect from your own nightmares of a family ... read more gathering gone wrong. Although painful and sometimes perplexing, you simply cannot take your eyes off these characters. Simple in set-up, taking place in a singular parlor room, we feel as if we've been raked through this family's lives by plays end.
Justin Barret and Elizabeth Van Meter take the lead as perfectly polar siblings, with Holter Graham as a sharply witty third in the triangle. The cast is rounded out by Pawel Szadja and Aimee DeShayes who both shine as the betrayed little brother and his young but 'wiser-than-all' fiancé.
Joel Froomkin provides the kind of direction you just don't see much of these days: provocative and fearless of risk. Mr. Froomkin understands the world he's created with great detail.
Forget about theatre, if you appreciate relationships and true character, you will not be disappointed. I thank the cast and crew for this experience. |
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My recommendation:
must see!
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| 8 |
Classical Theatre with Stand-Out Performances Review by: Thom, Aug 26, 2006 |
With classic Albee-like text set in a very modern cultural world, The Infliction of Cruelty is a tale of three siblings and the secret they've harbored from their family for over fifteen years. Narratively, there are some holes here surrounding the very nature and weight of the trios hidden pain and their clandestine plan for revenge. However, the saving grace here are the performances. Character is the very reason we go to theatre,... read more, and The Infliction of Cruelty offers plenty of it. It should be noted that gobs of this text would fall from the mouths of these actors like bricks onto a tile floor if not carefully delivered by this top notch cast of performers. All three lead siblings make us believe in a high-browe world that stretches the imagination to its furthest. Justin Barrett is absolutely engaging as the older sibling, the ringleader, whose genius and cunning is only outdone by his tangled emotions. Regardless of any gaps in the narrative, Barrett just makes you want to keep following, even throughout some fairly obvious metaphorical speeches. In perfect balance is Elizabeth Van Meter as younger sister Prussia. Van Meter owns this role from the moment she steps on stage until this play’s tragic end in which this perfectly wound socialite unravels to her core. Her performance is delightfully playful, and at times, Ms. Van Meter’s perfect comic timing truly saves the day. Holter Graham plays accomplice sibling Jonathan as both funny and authentic with a witty sense of humor contrasted by the sadness of true complacency. The only true hole in this cast is younger sibling Pawel Szajda. He’s simply outclassed here and doesn’t seem to exude much dynamic in a role that seems to teem with emotional highs and lows. There’s an awkwardness about almost anything he does especially when it comes to interaction with his co-star Aimee Deshayes who is not even slightly deterred and plays the omniscient outsider flawlessly.
Although the direction at times lacks focus and has a pace that moves just way too quickly, The Infliction of Cruelty is a joy to watch, and for true theatrelovers is a do-not-miss.
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My recommendation:
must see!
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| 9 |
very disappointing Review by: ethan redrum, players theatre, Aug 24, 2006 |
| disappointing. great premiss for a play, great setup. both were unfortunately badly used by being coloured out with sheer mediocrity - also the acting didn't help at all. maybe in the south and with a deeply red-state audience, the play might become a hit... |
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My recommendation:
Don't go
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I saw this show with:
Large Group
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Recommended for:
Seniors
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| 10 |
acting NOT great Review by: fringe maniac, Aug 23, 2006 |
| after reading about the great acting performances, I was looking forward to a real fringe treat. Yet what I saw was nothing more than cliches of 'great perfomances'. First, my compliment: the types of each role are greatly cast - they fit very well each roles' person. But the acting itself was rather horrid - not authentic at all. Though their were glimpses of good acting (e.g. when Prussia all cynical, and the youngest son's gorgeous girlfriend ... read more has some great comic moments), yet the rest is greatly flawed acting. If the play itself lends itself to bad, inauthentic acting (due to the play's very own inauthenticity, unoriginality, and cliche), the actors fully fall into that trap of fake emotions and theatrality and eventually...kitsch. i personally did not believe any of the characters. so unfortunatly my recommendation would be: DO NOT go see this badly acted show. |
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My recommendation:
Don't go
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I saw this show with:
Large Group
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| 11 |
Great Acting/Writing Make Fringe Show a Standout Review by: Chance, Aug 22, 2006 |
When attending a Fringe Fest show one never knows what to expect. The quality of the production is always a mystery. It can vary widely from an absolute mess to (very rarely) a true work of art with potential of success at a higher level. "The Infliction of Cruelty" co-written by Sean McManus and Andrew Unterberg and directed by Joel Froomkin falls into the latter category. Expertly written, it rises above the usual fringe fare of lowest ... read more common denominator theatre that is pillaging the legitimacy of both Broadway and Off-Broadway.
The cast is superb. Pawel Szajda, (youngest brother Benjamin) who has no previous major stage experience proves himself a competent stage performer able to tackle a deeply emotional role with little trouble.
Aimee DeShayes (Benjamin's new fiancée Zoe) has the comic chops of past female greats such as Carol Burnett and the emotional vulnerability necessary for such a varying role.
Elizabeth Van Meter (sister Prussia) is the stand out in a cast full of highlights. Her ability to slide from snappy sarcasm to heart breaking honesty makes it obvious she has a long career ahead of her.
The cast is rounded out by Justin Barrett and Holter Graham (surprisingly the only Equity member in the cast) both of which fill their characters with the necessary gravitas to anchor this heady show.
Go see this show, NOW. |
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My recommendation:
must see!
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I saw this show with:
Alone
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Recommended for:
Romantic Date, Business Assoc., Seniors
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| 12 |
Infliction of Cruelty on the Audience Review by: lord, Aug 21, 2006 |
The Infliction of Cruelty sounds greatly promising - and so do the play's first 10 minutes. You think of the wild and twisted secrets and cruelties that these 4 siblings might have hidden for so many years. Incest? that was shocking maybe ten years ago. Patricide? mmh, could be, but then where's the fun in that? So what might this fantastic secret be that we are craving for??? Well, here it is: the father had an affair with his sister-in-law,... read more, but the twist. or did he maybe not?
That's it. And once you figure out that you have been sitting through this full-length play for a father having an affair - and the brothers and sisters getting all worked up about it, breaking into wild tears and accusations and regrets of having lost 15 years of their lives - well, you realise that not only you wasted your time, but actually that this play is a full-blown melodrama - in the bad sense, with all the disgust that implies. If there was a republican form of satire, that's probably what it would look like. At the end of the play, the wise-Oxford educated, quote-pooping eldest son throws up when he learns that maybe by falsely accusing their father, the kids have spoiled daddy's life - as an act of charity, he should have passed the bucket around.
The two playwrights of this Infliction of Crueltly also have serious jobs: as "associate at a national law firm in Manhattan" and the other: "editor-in-Chief of an upsacle lifestyle publication in Jacksonville" respectively. any more questions??? |
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| 13 |
Recommend highly Review by: , Aug 21, 2006 |
| Fantastic play, very entertaining while at the same time thoughtful. Great acting, especially by the tortured eldest brother. |
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My recommendation:
must see!
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I saw this show with:
Spouse/Partner
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Recommended for:
Romantic Date, The Entire Family, Business Assoc.
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| 14 |
incredible acting Review by: , Aug 19, 2006 |
| Infliction of cruelty is the most astonding off braodway play I have seen in years. The actors are outstanding and give life and realism to this dark family drama. |
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My recommendation:
must see!
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I saw this show with:
Spouse/Partner
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Recommended for:
Adults, Anyone
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| * Review is an opinion of a BroadwayBox user and not that of BroadwayBox.com and BroadwayBox, Inc. |
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