"On Tidy Endings"

A powerful portrayal of loss, love, and identity, "On Tidy Endings" -- written by Harvey Fierstein in '87 -- tells the story of Marion and Arthur. She was married to Collin, who hid his homosexuality from her for 16 years. After Collin left her and developed AIDS, he met Arthur and they spent his last years together until his death. Now Marion and Arthur meet to divvy up Collin's belongings, and the play finds them trying to reconcile their feelings for Collin and for each other. The whole cast is terrific, and Michael Mullen ("Arthur") and Kimberly Patterson ("Marion) navigate the mounting drama with ease. The tone and tenor of their encounter constantly shifts, but performances are always spot on. As each of them pours their heart out, you... full review

A strong cast largely makes up for the slightly dated feeling of this play, that no doubt made more of a splash in the '80s when there weren't enough frank discussions about the emotional fallout of the AIDS epidemic seen on stage. That said, while the principles, Michael Mullen and Kimberly Patterson, connect with real authority and emotional weight, their work is hampered a bit by flat direction from Sara Wagner. Definitely worth seeing for the acting, though.... full review

BWW Reviews: Harvey Fierstein's 1987 ON TIDY ENDINGS - Still Witty, Still Raw, Still So Relevant June 8, 2015 by Gil Kaan ​ BWW Reviews: Harvey Fierstein's 1987 ON TIDY ENDINGS - Still Witty, Still Raw, Still So Relevant On Tidy Endings/by Harvey Fierstein/directed by Sara Wagner/The Complex's East Theatre/thru June 27, 2015 Harvey Fierstein's one-act On Tidy Endings, originally part of his 1987 Safe Sex trilogy, holds up very well in the abled reins of director Sara Wagner and her kick-ass cast. Set in a time when gay men only came out of their closets on a need-to-know basis (ex-wives, kids), contracting AIDS equalled a death sentence. Still, the after-effects of a gay man dying have similar revelancy in 2015. Tidying up... full review

I went to see this 6/13/15 and this is a really good play you should see if you are thinking about it. The one thing you should know this is a play about a man who died of AIDS and how the people in his life react to his death. The rest you should experience. The performances really drew you into the story line and the actors all did great jobs. Everyone did wonderful work making their characters believable. So why not an "Amazing" rating? Because too much happens in the amount of time you see (it lasts about 60 minutes). Most of the play is an interaction between two characters and they go on an emotional roller coaster and take you along for the ride. But then the way it ends - with all that happens - I just didn't buy it. So bring tiss... full review