| FIRST REHEARSAL OF 'WELL'
by Jason Loewith on 10/15/2008 12:01:00 PM
Last night's first read-through of Well (by Lisa Kron, directed by Damon Kiely) was superb: MaryAnn Thebus and Lia Mortensen returning to Next after many years to perform this marvelous, touching, and witty mother-daughter memoir. Hard to believe this play was on Broadway a couple of years ago - and now it's come to our little space in Evanston for its Chicago-area premiere!
It's also hard to believe that such a complex, meta-theatrical play (a play, in part, about what a play IS) could have been successful on Broadway (it was nominated for two Tony Awards). But I think the theatricality of the work is so strong, and in such support, of the subject matter: issues of racial integration, illness and wellness, and family relationships. It seemed from the assembled crowd that the work will appeal to wide swaths of our audience, while exposing them to a new theatrical form.
In other news, check out this fascinating article in yesterday's New York Times - where are the conservative plays? (Funny enough, the one play the cite as truly conservative, Stonewall Jackson's House, was produced at Next in 1999).
Lily Mojeckwu and Kat McDonnell check out the costume renderings
of their characters from Debbie Baer.
 
Looking at the renderings for the 9 year old bully character "Lori Jones", actress Lia Mortensen recounts her real life experience with the mean schoolgirl bully.Labels: Well
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I really enjoyed your production of Well. It stimulated a lot of discussion between my friends. Relationships, sickness/wellnes, etc.
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