| MORE RESPONSES TO BUSY WORLD
by Jason Loewith on 9/27/2007 03:06:00 PM
Chime in - which do you agree with?
I rarely send out notes after attending the theater. But I was compelled to write and thank you - a thousand times over - for giving local theatergoers the extraordinary gift that is your production of "The Busy World Is Hushed." It is everything a remarkable evening of theater could and should be - thoughtful, emotionally gripping and exquisitely mounted.
I spent 17 years on the Jeff Committee and was the Variety correspondent here during the 1990's and by the time I left both of those posts - exhausted and rather depressed - I had all but lost hope of there being any kind of future for serious playwriting in America. But one transcendant evening such as you have provided instantly restores some hope. You have all given Chicago something to treasure and remember for a long, long time.
Regards,
Lewis Lazare
Marketing Columnist
Chicago Sun-Times
My friend and I were disappointed by the play. There are a few things I would recommend tighting or righting...
First, there is a boring lull in the first act... the theological conversations back and forth. Theological language tends to be stilted, staid and boring... in these conversations it was not lively or interesting, because it is not clear what the speakers are really struggling with. What is the heart of their struggle? Secularism? An enlightened Christian expression? Disagreement with traditional Christianity? As a theologian and pastor, I found this the most boring - and potentially the most exciting - conversation, because of what was lacking...
Second, it is not clear how the minister has - and has not - dealt with her husband's suicide. Her closed-ness is obvious, but why is she closed? Can we see more of her own human hurt and her tenderness - rather than just her ranting at her son and righteous proclaiming of her gospel?
Finally, it is not clear why the son thinks his mother's faith is false or dishonest. It is disingenous to have him critique her, yet not really say why he thinks she is phony... Something was missing for me there too. . . .
Thank you for hearing my comments. I have enjoyed plays at Next for several years, and hope to continue enjoying them in the years to come.
David NeffLabels: Busy World is Hushed
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