Saturday, November 29, 2008
Stranger Suggests Today The Stranger Suggests
Posted by The Stranger on Sat, Nov 29, 2008 at 11:00 AM
Theater
"The Adding Machine"
New Century Theatre Company is a group of daring artists who are
sick of theater in this town and are doing something about it. Its
first production, of Elmer Rice's 1923 The Adding Machine,
begins with a monologue by Stranger Genius Amy Thone—a
seething, terrifying blast of bile. Under the ruthless direction
of John Langs, this dark production kicks you in the face
immediately and never lets you recover. There's also an
unforgettable party scene; a hair-raising monologue by Paul Morgan
Stetler, playing a man on trial for murder; and no intermission.
Seriously: Go. (ACT Theatre, 700 Union St, 292-7676. 8
pm, $25.)
CHRISTOPHER FRIZZELLE
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To say the folks starting NCTC are "sick of theatre" seems a gross mischaracterization; if they were truly "sick" of it, they probably wouldn't be doing it any more.
Without meaning to put words in their mouths, perhaps it would be more appropriate to say they're sick of the way some other companies do theatre in this town: the lack of risk-taking; the sublimation of local actors in favor of out-of-towners; the de-emphasis of the actor as the primary focus of theatrical performance, etc., etc.
And yes, this production does indeed kick you in the face, and doesn't stop kicking, metaphorically at least, until the curtain call.
Go see it. Bring some friends. Make it possible for NCTC to do more of this kind of work.
Without meaning to put words in their mouths, perhaps it would be more appropriate to say they're sick of the way some other companies do theatre in this town: the lack of risk-taking; the sublimation of local actors in favor of out-of-towners; the de-emphasis of the actor as the primary focus of theatrical performance, etc., etc.
And yes, this production does indeed kick you in the face, and doesn't stop kicking, metaphorically at least, until the curtain call.
Go see it. Bring some friends. Make it possible for NCTC to do more of this kind of work.
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