THE CONDUCT OF LIFE

Woof. Animalistic. Raw. Stellar performances. Not for the faint of mind, heart, or stomach.... full review

Director Sabina Ptasznik's deft production of The Conduct of Life starts out with a breathtaking punch and barrels on through till its heart skipping end. I loved every minute of this hard to watch piece. Fornes' script is pointed, violent, and fierce, while still slowing down enough to highlight both the mundane and the sweetly tender moments of life. The performances are excellent. What a solid cast all around! Mollohan's Orlando is a raging beast that still strangely manages to draw sympathy - such a product of his lost world is he. Karina Wolfe as Leticia is a delight to watch: paradoxically both fragile and strong as a privileged and emotionally abused wife who loves too much, but in the end finds the resolve to overcome. Belind... full review

This production has clearly cast the right actors for the piece. I was impressed with the fact that they were all so committed to their roles, especially considering the brutal nature of the material. This play is visceral and bold, it's not for the weak of heart.... full review

All I can say is, brace yourself! This is not your average feel-good play. In fact, it's the opposite. But sometimes you need that reminder that guess what? There is some fucked up shit in this world so we better be grateful for what we have and conduct our lives the best way possible. The production is flawless & the acting is amazing. Definitely the best show I've seen yet!... full review

DARK SUBJECT MATTER LEAVES US IN THE DARK Inspired by Theater of the Absurd, Cuban expatriate María Irene Fornés (b. 1930) cut her teeth during the Off-Off-Broadway avant-garde movement. She may have nine Obie Awards to her credit, but this feminist playwright’s deliberately dark and opaque style willfully obfuscates her narrative, which keeps the meaning in her scripts, often rife with unpleasant, complex characters and murderous violence, ambiguous at best. Since many of her one-acts are short—and perhaps due to the in-your-face off-putting situations—you are more likely to see her work at Fringe Festivals than in regional theaters. A textbook example of Fornés’ fascinating but ultimately alienating work resides in her 1985 The Condu... full review

The Conduct of Life by Maria Irene Fornes. Review by Mayank Keshaviah. ***This review first appeared on www.stageraw.com*** http://stageraw.com/2014/06/11/conduct-of-life-thistle-and-weeds/ In an unidentified country, ambitious military officer Orlando (Robert Homer Mollohan) wants to “achieve maximum power.” His sensitive wife Leticia (Karina Wolfe) wants to “be a woman who speaks in a group and have everybody listen.” But she won’t stand up to him, even once she becomes aware of Nena (Emily Yetter), the young girl that Orlando keeps and rapes in the basement. Orlando’s colleague Alejo (Jeremy Mascia) impotently wonders if “anybody can change anything.” He, too, fails to speak up against the torture he and Orlando perpetrate against th... full review

Much like Friends Like These, The Conduct of Life shows the progression from victim to perpetrator. It depicts that a victim who is pushed too far can all too easily turn violent. As such, the play contains explicit depictions of rape and violence and is NOT suitable for children. See the rest of the review at Examiner.com. ... full review

Originally posted in Bitter Lemons: "Fringe Femmes" | “Conduct of Life” by Maria Irene Fornes | “There’s something malignant in the world.” Oh, yeah, there is. In Maria Irene Fornes’ award-winning 1985 Conduct of Life, mounted in a stunning Hollywood Fringe revival by The Vagrancy, it’s not just the terrifying, animalistic soldier Orlando (Robert Homer Mollohan) – although he’s the one who, ironically, makes the statement. It’s also the frightened, prey-like characters who surround him and are complicit in his ongoing brutality, made worse under the cover of normalcy. Director Sabina Ptasznik doesn’t miss a nuance or opportunity for an explosion in this powerful production; she and her five superb actors mine the rich material for ... full review