What I liked
Reed Michael Campbell has formidable acting chops, and he kept me engaged throughout. Further, while one-person plays can often feel very static, this production—courtesy of strong direction—made excellent use of the limited space (especially vertically), seamlessly transitioning between playing areas.
What I didn't like
While one may be able to reduce this to “not always my cup of tea,” I do think there are challenges in Tennyson’s original source material that this adaptation (nor perhaps any adaptation) wasn’t always able to overcome, even with consistently strong acting, direction and design elements. So every once in a while, I’d find myself less grounded than I’d like to be for a few moments.
My overall impression
This is a thoughtful production of challenging subject matter, which puts on full display the versatility of a talented young actor. Reed Michael Campbell is engaging to watch throughout, taming and humanizing Tennyson’s poetry. It’s well worth seeing.
