Theatre

Attending an evening of live theatre is an experience like no other. Movies and television simply cannot replicate the rich sensory adventure of having a flesh-and-blood cast perform an intricate physical and verbal ballet right before your eyes.

Aside from the vicarious thrill of possibly witnessing a theatrical trainwreck if something goes horribly wrong, the attraction of live theatre is that when it goes well it can be a transformative experience. The Victoria Theatre Guild's presentation of "The Dining Room," a two-act play by A.R. Gurney, which opened to an enthusiastic full house November 15 at the Langham Court Theatre, went very well indeed.

This fragmentary piece features six actors playing 56 characters in just under two hours, a feat of technical and artistic fortitude if there ever was one. The cast were comfortable and confident onstage, and on opening night there were no flubbed lines or other gremlins to mar the performance.

The actors perform vignettes that blend into one another on the set of a beautiful old dining room filled with sumptuous antique furniture and a rich red Persian rug.

The central theme (as explained by the play’s title) is the dining room, which Gurney explores as an anachronism to modern life, illustrating his theme by going back and forth in time and often superimposing a more modern scene upon another.

As Act I opens, the room has fallen into disuse: an old man argues with a grandson about an estate, and children squabble over a will, reducing the room to a mere asset to be divided up. In subsequent scenes, it is in full use as the heart of the house, with raucous birthday parties, prim maids polishing the silverware, and even a blossoming affair or two, right in front of the children.

The talented cast manages it all with a great deal of finesse, and not a small dose of hilarity, as the second act commences in the 1960s. A tinny transistor radio sets the scene with soul music as two teenaged girls (Debbie Foley in a school tunic and Julie McCracken in tie-dye hippie gear) raid the liquor cabinet for a revolting concoction of gin, vodka and Fresca, and proceed to rant about the stuffiness of the old house.

The other talented cast members tackle their roles (and the bewildering plethora of characters) with similar gusto.

"The Dining Room" runs until December 1 at the Langham Court, and is definitely worth a visit.



NEXUS Campus Newspaper, November/2001: Theatre Review: "The Dining Room"
	Attending an evening of live theatre is an experience like no other. Movies and television simply cannot replicate the rich sensory adventure of having a flesh-and-blood cast perform an intricate physical and verbal ballet right before your eyes. Aside from the vicarious thrill of possibly witnessing a theatrical trainwreck if something goes horribly wrong, the attraction of live theatre is that when it goes well it can be a transformative experience. The Victoria Theatre Guild's presentation of "The Dining Room," a two-act play by A.R. Gurney, which opened to an enthusiastic full house November 15 at the Langham Court Theatre, went very well indeed. This fragmentary piece features six actors playing 56 characters in just under two hours, a feat of technical and artistic fortitude if there ever was one. The cast were comfortable and confident onstage, and on opening night there were no flubbed lines or other gremlins to mar the performance. The actors perform vignettes that blend into one another on the set of a beautiful old dining room filled with sumptuous antique furniture and a rich red Persian rug. The central theme (as explained by the play’s title) is the dining room, which Gurney explores as an anachronism to modern life, illustrating his theme by going back and forth in time and often superimposing a more modern scene upon another. As Act I opens, the room has fallen into disuse: an old man argues with a grandson about an estate, and children squabble over a will, reducing the room to a mere asset to be divided up. In subsequent scenes, it is in full use as the heart of the house, with raucous birthday parties, prim maids polishing the silverware, and even a blossoming affair or two, right in front of the children. The talented cast manages it all with a great deal of finesse, and not a small dose of hilarity, as the second act commences in the 1960s. A tinny transistor radio sets the scene with soul music as two teenaged girls (Debbie Foley in a school tunic and Julie McCracken in tie-dye hippie gear) raid the liquor cabinet for a revolting concoction of gin, vodka and Fresca, and proceed to rant about the stuffiness of the old house. The other talented cast members tackle their roles (and the bewildering plethora of characters) with similar gusto. "The Dining Room" runs until December 1 at the Langham Court, and is definitely worth a visit.