rOcKS @ 'Time Stands Still'

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 3/25/10 at 11:38pm

Finally saw this tonight and boy am I glad I caught it before it closed.

Four fantastic performers working with a remarkably strong script in a first-rate production. My issues with this show are really miniscule to be honest. I loved it.

Eric Bogosian is funny and very engaging, Brian d'Arcy James is wonderfully reliable as always, and Alicia Silverstone is really quite strong. She did a great job of handling her character's transitions throughout the play, as they are very big leaps in character development.

But best of all, obviously, is Laura Linney. I have always loved her and never got the chance to see her onstage until tonight and she did not let me down one bit. She was totally believable, incredibly moving, and wickedly funny. She deserves the Tony for Best Actress, in my opinion (still haven't seen LOOPED). It just feels like a master class in acting, to be quite honest. She's really giving a tour de force. She's just as powerful in her subtle scenes as she is in her big confrontational ones, which says a lot.

My biggest problem with the script is that the psycho-analyzations of each character got a bit grating after a while. It was a little bit too much of every character saying to another one "you know what you need" or "you know what you want." It's a bit of an odd problem to have with the show but it irked me for some reason. Also, the first scene was a bit slow. But, in a way, totally necessary for the rest of the play.

Besides that, Donald Margulies has crafted a beautiful, gripping, important, and sly piece of theater. It's a really accomplished work; arguably his best yet. This is a play with a lot to say and it never feels muddled or like it's going to trip over itself so to speak. It's so sharply-crafted and smart.

The direction is very nice, the set is really lovely, and the lighting is subtly well-suited for the piece. The audience ate it up. I'm thrilled I caught it before it closed but had I seen it earlier, I definitely would have gone more than once. See it if you can.

***1/2 out of ****

[bjh2114]

Posted: 3/25/10 at 11:41pm

Saw it for the second time two nights ago, and I couldn't agree more. It's absolutely fantastic, and it was even better than it was the first time, if possible. For me, this was the biggest surprise of the season. I would love to see this get named as a Pulitzer finalist.

[wdwfreak]

Posted: 3/25/10 at 11:46pm

I saw it at the beginning of the month and LOVED it... It was a very good production.. I wish it had a life outside of this limited engagement. I have to agree that Laura Linney was fantastic in it, along with the rest of the cast.

My favorite thing about it was the constant switches from comedy to drama and vice versa.

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 3/26/10 at 12:03am

I loved everything about it!

[broadwaybaby086]

Posted: 3/26/10 at 9:09am

I loved it, and wish it were running a bit longer so I could revisit it.