Team,
Below please find Hoyt Hilsman’s review of the play
re-posted for THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER.COM.
All the best,
Rachel and BeBe
RACHEL
KARTEN
p: 323.822.4878 | f: 323.822.4880 |
c: 323-316-0613
rkarten@id-pr.com
ID
THE INTERSECTION OF ENTERTAINMENT PUBLIC RELATIONS
AND BRAND COMMUNICATIONS
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/film-reviews/la-ronde-de-lunch-theater-review-1004032775.story
Film
Reviews
La
Ronde De Lunch -- Theater Review
By
Hoyt Hilsman, BackStage, November 03, 2009 03:26 ET
"La Ronde de
Lunch" (photo by Ed Kriegar)
Bottom
Line: Scriptwriter turns his pen on
Inspired by Arthur
Schnitzler's sexual farce, writer
His glittering farce is set at El Pueblo de la Venezia, an overpriced and
overhyped restaurant whose denizens are the usual array of celebrity agents,
actors, producers, realtors and fitness instructors. Like Schnitzler's classic
comedy, the play features the interconnected, serial stories of several
characters who meet at the restaurant, at the same table, for lunch.
There is the aging actor (Kathryn Harrold), the producer (Michael B. Silver),
the pregnant studio exec (Kate Siegel), the agent (Joe Briggs), the realtor
(Gina Hecht), the writer (Brynn Thayer), the fitness consultant (Haley Strode),
the lawyer (Robert Trebor), the bimbo (Fiona Gubelmann), the movie star (Jay
Huguley) and a delightful Greek chorus of waiters all named Bruce (Daniel
Montgomery, Demetrius Keone Thomas, Amanda Kruger, Matt Austin and Clent
Bowers).
Although farces about Tinseltown are tricky to pull off -- they often quickly
devolve into caricature and come with a heavy dose of anger from envious
playwrights -- Lefcourt's play avoids all those pitfalls, as he obviously has
been swimming in these waters for years and knows the players intimately.
Like most fine comedy, the play is based on truth; you can't make this stuff
up. And the playwright adds another important ingredient to the mix: He
maintains an odd affection for all his characters, as shallow, superficial and
narcissistic as they might be.
Hanauer does a bang-up job of directing, letting loose a stellar cast of actors
to perform at their creative best while still holding a firm rein over the tone
of the piece. Her use of imaginative props, music, choreography (Tracy Silver)
and costumes (Shon Le Blanc) add immeasurably to the evening.
The cast is outstanding. Huguley is picture-perfect as the narcissistic star,
Briggs is a hyperactive wonder as the agent, Gubelmann shines as the bimbo with
a 165 IQ, Hecht captures the essence of the Hollywood realtor, Siegel is
marvelous as the mommy exec, Trebor is terrific as the lawyer, Thayer nails the
lesbian writer role, Harrold is unforgettable as the aging diva, Silver is a
suitably desperate producer and Strode is perky perfection as the
personal-fitness consultant. The Bruces also feature several standouts --
including Montgomery, Thomas and a silver-throated Bowers.
Venue: The Skylight Theatre,
Cast: Kathryn Harrold, Michael B. Silver, Kate Siegel, Joe Briggs, Gina Hecht,
Brynn Thayer, Haley Strode, Robert Trebor, Fiona Gubelmann, Jay Huguley, Daniel
Montgomery, Demetrius Keone Thomas, Amanda Kruger, Matt Austin, and Clent
Bowers
Playwright:
Director: Terri Hanauer
Costumes: Shon Le Blanc