The Big Meal

[After Eight]

Posted: 3/3/12 at 6:55am

We meet a family as it meets, eats, squabbles, ages, and dies through several generations.

The actors do a superb job playing multiple roles, and the action flows smoothly and seamlessly. The author writes crisp, rapid-paced dialogue, and is adept at capturing the essence of his characters in swift strokes.

But the family itself is none too engaging, the squabbling none too interesting, and the metaphorical death moments are labored, painful to watch and go on too long.

Ultimately, a downer.

Updated On: 3/3/12 at 06:55 AM

[PlayItAgain]

Posted: 3/3/12 at 7:47am

bummer, I love Sam Gold so to hear he might now be 1 for 3 this season is disappointing.....

[mamaleh]

Posted: 3/3/12 at 8:57am

while there are some worthy and touching moments--provided mostly by the luminous acting of Anita Gillette--the death-is-coming scenes actually began to engender snickers, as the cues were instantly recognizable. Rather than a "big meal," I'd call it a snack.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 3/11/12 at 1:33am

Hm. So a pass? I'm really looking for something new and exciting to see, but I just can't get into any of this.

[Vespertine1228]

Posted: 3/19/12 at 8:23am

Caught it yesterday and thought it was one of the best things I've seen so far this year. I'm surprised to hear such mixed reactions on here.

I'll be curious to see what reviews say Thursday morning.

[followspot]

Posted: 3/19/12 at 10:14am

Re: bummer, I love Sam Gold so to hear he might now be 1 for 3 this season is disappointing.....

PlayItAgain — assuming you mean that you love Sam Gold's work, not the man himself (I might be wrong), maybe you can explain the Sam Gold "love" to me. I'm afraid I haven't quite understood the theatre community's continual praise of this, to my eye, entirely pedestrian director. Other than the constantly mentioned CIRCLE MIRROR TRANSFORMATION three years ago (which I wasn't in New York to see), what work has he done that was in any way remarkable? Serious question — I'd love to find out what I'm apparently missing. (I've seen SEMINAR, LOOK BACK IN ANGER, WE LIVE HERE... oh God, WE LIVE HERE... and am about to see THE BIG MEAL, whose production photos look like another utterly stagnant staging.) (And no, Sam, having a character climb a bookcase in SEMINAR is not dramatic action. It's foolish.)

Explain.

Updated On: 3/19/12 at 10:14 AM