MEF on ABSURD PERSON SINGULAR *spoilers*

[melissa errico fan]

Posted: 9/25/05 at 9:12am

Last night, I saw Manhattan Theatre Club's superb revival of Alan Ayckbourn's classic farce Absurd Person Singular. A hit when it first opened on Broadway in 1975 and a staple of regional and community theatres for years, this top-notch production reminds us why it has remained in our repetoire for so long.

The play centers around three successive Christmas Eve parties in an English town. Three couples,all practically drowning in their own neuroses, populate the play. Sidney and Jane (Alan Ruck and Clea Lewis) are small-time proprietors of a General Store who wish to expand. Geoffrey and Eva (Sam Robards and Mireille Enos) are a dizzy city couple; him chasing any skirt he can find and her swallowing any pill she can find. Ronnie and Marion (Paxton Whitehead and Deborah Rush) are the epitome of upper crust; he is a financier and she is a lady of leisure.

With each passing Christmas, we see how their fortunes change. Eva becomes suicidal. One of Geoff's buildings crumbles and falls to the ground. Ronnie's bank is in the red. Marion suffers a nervous breakdown. On the other hand, Sidney and Jane are booming; every year becoming more and more successful.

But, hey, it's a comedy. A British comedy.

The performances are all quite good. Ms. Enos, in her second straight Sandy Dennis role, continues to prove that she is one of the most promising actresses today with another brilliant performance as Eva. Ms. Rush (probably best known as the original Brooke Ashton from Noises Off) is extraordinarily funny and perfectly cast as an upper-crust matron. The men are all sublime, especially the wonderfully varying Mr. Whitehead. Only Ms. Lewis as the clean-freak Jane could be cloying at times. Overall, she was fine, but I found her very annoying during the first act.

If you love British humor, and you need a laugh, look no further than the Biltmore Theatre!

EDIT: Forgot to mention that Geoffrey Rush was in the audience last night. I hardly ever get starstruck but I nearly fainted when I saw him!
Updated On: 9/25/05 at 09:12 AM

[magruder]

Posted: 9/25/05 at 11:59am

Nice review!

(You meant Sandy Dennis, not Sandy Duncan).

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 9/25/05 at 12:58pm

Thanks for the review. I had backburnered this show and wasn't really planning on seeing it (I saw too many productions of it in the 70s and 80s), but I guess I'll go now.

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 9/25/05 at 2:39pm

I read this play about two weeks ago for a class and thought it was hilarious.

Just wondering, after which act did they have intermission? There was no indication in the text and I was curious about it.

[melissa errico fan]

Posted: 9/25/05 at 7:38pm

There is a 12-minute intermission after each act.

Thanks for pointing out my slip, Magruder. I've edited my original post.

[PB ENT.]

Posted: 9/25/05 at 10:26pm

Nice review! I really enjoy Ackbourn's work and especially liked this one. It is comedy at it's funniest when the cast is exceptional. Reminds me of Noises Off in many ways.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 9/29/05 at 1:12pm

Hmmmmmm..... now I'm wondering whether this should go back to the backburner again .......

http://www.talkinbroadway.com/allthatchat/d.php?id=176710

[melissa errico fan]

Posted: 9/29/05 at 1:42pm

I agree about Clea Lewis, but I still feel that this production is very tight on a whole.