Too Much Sun

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TOO MUCH SUN

Photo: Carol Rosegg

Cititour.com Review
Throughout his career, Nicky Silver has crafted his greatest characters for actors with whom he has previously worked, and that streak continues in his very fine new play, “Too Much Sun,” now premiering at the Vineyard Theatre. Having given the great Linda Lavin a plum role in his last outing, “The Lyons,” he has crafted another stunning showcase for this Tony-winning actress’ multiple talents in the guise of the vain, self-absorbed, yet uncommonly wise actress Audrey Langham.

Lavin returns the favor by delivering a top-notch performance, creating a full-bodied woman struggling to reconcile the past, present and future. The actress uses every bullet in her arsenal, from her martini-dry delivery of a putdown to the perfect raised eyebrow to her still-superb singing voice, and hits bulls-eye after bulls-eye. (Her rendition of Kurt Weill’s “Surabaya Johnny,” complete with deliciously guttural German, is almost worth the price of admission). It’s not only the new theater season’s finest performance, but one that will be remembered next spring.

Audrey, a celebrated theater star, has walked out of the dress rehearsal of a Chicago production of “Medea” – and made a beeline for the Cape Cod summer home (brilliantly designed by Donyale Werle) of her unhappy, neurotic daughter Kitty (Jennifer Westfeldt) and husband Dennis (Ken Barnett). Dennis is supposedly planning to spend the summer writing his first novel, and is no more thrilled to have Audrey descend on his home than Kitty, who hasn’t seen her mother in over two years and resents just about every breath the woman takes.

Kitty also doesn’t take kindly to Audrey’s eventual plan to wed next door neighbor Winston (the reliable Richard Bekins), a seemingly too-nice widower still dealing with the suicide of his late wife and the arrested development of his gay, pot-dealing son Lucas (Matt Dickson). Try as she might to bury her feelings in cookies, Kitty’s rage and sorrow can’t help but constantly come out.

As always, Silver is quick with the quip (not to mention a fair amount of inside theater jokes), but there’s a great depth of feeling to “Too Much Sun.” Each of the characters – including Audrey’s hapless agent Gil (Matt Dellapina) -- is struggling to express who they are and what they really want. In fact, the refreshing thing about Audrey, even at her most unsympathetic, is that she is the one person who is most in touch with her true self and needs – whether it’s a cigarette or financial security.

Mark Brokaw provides sure-handed if low-key direction, and he does fine work with the cast, most notably Westfeldt and Dickson, who have the trickiest parts to get right. By properly balancing the drama and comedy of this complex work, Brokaw and his company ensure that “Too Much Sun” shines brightly.

By Brian Scott Lipton


Visit the Site
http://www.vineyardtheatre.org/too-much-sun

Open/Close Dates
Opening 5/18/2014
Closing 6/22/2014


Theatre Info
Vineyard Theatre
108 East 15th Street
New York, NY 10003
Map



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