My overall impression
These 4 playlets, adapted and directed by Adam Scott Weissman from stories by the often cynical Dorothy Parker, show a deeply gentle side of her in the first play ‘The Lovely Leave.’ In fact, this beautifully realized tale of a young wife and her Air Force husband spending only minutes together before he is shipped overseas and into the black hole of World War II is a masterpiece of stagecraft. They look at each other with deep tenderness, even kiss once or twice, but mostly they squabble. Here are two real people (rarely personified in the shows I review) unable to say or do the right things because the underlying misfortune of their lives colors every word they speak. The two actors, Bailey Wilson and Paul Stanko, are perfectly cast and wonderfully real. Hey Weissman, make a short film of this and submit it for an Oscar. The other three plays are fun, the actors fine, and Parker’s sarcasm is back on point.
Reviews @theatrespokenhere
