The Savannah Disputation - 2/10 - quick review

[Insider2]

Posted: 2/11/09 at 11:22am

Saw this last night.

Well, it's very funny, that's for sure. I did not know anything about this going in, and I was not expecting a laugh-out-loud comedy, loaded with one funny line after another, but that's what it is.

That said, the play itself is very slight. It is trying to say something about religion and and why one belief is wrong and another is right, etc... In fact, it ends up covering very little new territory. we've seen a lot of this before in other plays, films, and other media.

But playwright Evan Smith's writing is so sharp that the evening flies by. It does, at times seem like a sit-com. At a few points, I found myself wondering if I would have been better served staying home and watching reruns of The Golden Girls. But overall, it is an enjoyable evening in the theatre, and the acting here is worth the price of admission alone, particularly the amazing Dana Ivey and Marylouise Burke, both in prime form.

One note - I have no idea why, but they have this sort of a fake-out intermission, where they turn the house lights up for a whole two minutes, but the ushers guard the doors with their lives so no one can leave. I mean, I know it is a short play (90 minutes), but if you're going to have an intermission, have an intermission, not some stupid "pause". At least Playwrights Horizons could sell some overpriced bad wine or a few cookies and make a little more cash in this nutty economy.
Updated On: 2/11/09 at 11:22 AM

[PiraguaGuy2]

Posted: 2/11/09 at 11:24am

The review so nice you posted it thrice!

[Insider2]

Posted: 2/11/09 at 12:30pm

Yikes! How did that happen? Site seems to be a little glitchy this a.m. Let me try to figure out how to delete the other two.