Her Requiem @ LCT3

Was not a huge fan of this. I thought the script was most to blame. Most of the moments came off false. No connection to any of the characters. Too many things happen for no reason and there were way too many contradictions which left the viewer thinking, "this would never happen." The most awkward moment was the end when the lights went down and no one clapped. Not until they brought the lights up did anyone begin to politely applaud. Keilly McQuail gave the best performance in a strange role. Wouldn't recommend this to anyone.

"Was not a huge fan of this. "

Nor was I.

You know you're in trouble when a play begins with a character babbling on about something no one cares about, and which has nothing to do with the play at hand. In this case, it's the fact that a die has six sides. Fascinating, n'est-ce pas? I quite agreed with the character's wife who told her husband to get on with it already and just roll the dice.

The same could be asked of this drab and far-fetched play that plods along like a tortoise until it finally comes to some life two thirds through. By then, it's too late. Peter Friedman is very good; poor Mare Winningham has to look sullen throughout; and Joyce Van Patten's talents are wasted in a small part.

I caught tonight's preview and (happily) find myself in that familiar territory of disagreeing with After Eight. The play isn't without some need for fine tuning, but I enjoyed the subject matter and performances very much. Peter Friedman is giving an absolutely fantastic performance and I think Her Requiem works based when viewed as a companion piece to The Shaggs; now all Friedman must do to complete the thematic trilogy is find a play where he's playing the Annie Golden/Mare Winningham role.

The plot involves Dean and Allison (Friedman and Winningham), who have allowed their daughter Caitlin to take off the year before her senior year of high school to write a requiem. Caitlin has soundproofed her room and essentially has cut off contact with her parents to completely immerse herself in her creativity and block out any distraction. Her only contact with the outside world is a young music director from a Catholic Church who is giving her guidance on the piece. Most of the play takes place in the living room of the family home and Caitlin remains unseen. Dean believes his daughter is a prodigy and obsessively thinks about the masterpiece she is supposedly writing. The project becomes as much his as it is hers. Allison tries to be the voice of reason as the family unit begins to unravel under the weight of the undertaking.

Winningham does great work too, and the supporting players all have little moments to shine.

For the relatively cheap cost of tickets I think it's worth seeing for Freidman's performance alone.

I really loved this play. I didn't know what to expect, as reactions here have been mixed. But I am firmly on the side that this show is remarkable. So many disparate themes are explored: the positive side and negative sides of obsession and passion, paternal and maternal devotion, betrayal, artistic creation, death, genius, making a living or not making a living, and many others. Plus, it has quite a bit of humor in it! I laughed out loud often. Some of the best material is in the digressions.

I agree with Whizzer and HBBrock that Peter Friedman is amazing. As I was watching I thought, this guy is a national treasure. All the performances were excellent:

Maybe I connected with the play in part because of the subject matter. As an amateur choral singer years ago, I performed a couple of the requiems that were discussed in the course of the play. Snippets of several are heard between scenes. They are very cathartic to perform, especially if you've experienced the death of a loved one recently.

The sets were great, very evocative of a house upstate soon to be overcome by winter. And, of course, the theater is ideal, intimate with great sight lines. I would highly recommend this show.

Updated On: 2/21/16 at 08:14 PM