I saw this tonight. Simply fantastic on every possible level. 59e59 Theatre's A Theatre is a small intimate theatre which enhances the performances in this super intimate setting.
With only 4 leads, 1 multi-female track (playing Patsy, a nurse, etc) and a solo actor (playing a doctor), the entire TERMS OF ENDEARMENT we all know and love unfolded perfectly. This is a true showcase for Molly Ringwald and her Aurora Greenway is solid (crazy to think Shirley MacLaine was 49 when she won an Oscar for the 1983 film - Molly is 47).
A true revelation was Hannah Dunne as the daughter Emma. She held your attention whenever she was on stage. Jeb Brown as former astronaut Garrett channeled the film's Garrett: Jack Nicholson, which worked nicely when needed but he still added his own touch.
Using 3 main set pieces, 2 individual doors and hidden entrances, everything unfolded. What we didn't see was told thru dialogue. All of the film's known lines are in this. It reminded me of the original stage version of STEEL MAGNOLIAS, where the women mentioned things and people though we never see them.
The play runs 2 hours with a 15 minute intermission. Act 1 was a startler as the play simply could have gone on without any intermission. The audience was totally absorbed in this. I'm definitely seeing this again.
