My overall impression
Second time I have seen this show and I must say very very impressive directing, acting and script. It’s been explained in other reviews several times about the premise, the shuffling of the cards, the random calling of cards and then the transitioning the actors must make between scenes. Sometimes the transitions are very challenging. Going from really feeling regret and sadness, for example, to being in the early stages of love and in an almost drugged emotional state poses acting challenges and relies greatly on an actor’s emotional vulnerability and flexibility. I saw the play twice both times with Emily Grace and with two very different actors, Nick Hardcastle and Darren Schnase. Each of these men are stellar actors, each have a powerful stage presence, and each are quite different from the other. But for me personally it was watching Emily navigate these two powerful male energies with aplomb and like her name grace and humor that gave new dimensions to the play itself…I am going soon again to see British actress Claire Cordingley as the woman in the play and I am excited about the new aspects the play will reveal to me yet again. 52 Pick Up is like a mirror into your own heart and mind. What we take away from it is what we bring to it. A trick of our collective and individual minds revealed through terrific acting. Don’t miss it.
