[NEohioPAL]PACK OF LIES Critiques - thru Dec. 9th at Kennedy's; Playhouse Square

Mon Nov 27 02:15:55 PST 2006

----------MB_8C8E02428BA2A81_8E0_85D4_WEBMAIL-MA02.sysops.aol.com
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"

 =20
PACK OF LIES

Cesear's Forum continues its production of Hugh Whitemore's PACK OF LIES at=20=
Kennedy's Down Under, Playhouse Square Center, Cleveland, OH, through Decemb=
er 9th. Here are some written critiques of the play and current production:

The play switched the glamor of spy-rings (James Bond's thrilling travelogue=
s, LeCarre's Expressionist mode, Philby, Burgess and Maclean in their Pall M=
all Clubs) for a world crushingly dull. Hugh Whitemore's drama deals with in=
trigue =E2=80=93 but in a Ruislip suburban semi-detached house, rather than=20=
a Jacobean palace or Russian steppe. Bob and Barbara Jackson are Mr. and Mrs=
. Nobody ('the sort of people who stand in queues and don't answer back') -w=
hose lives are invaded by the Secret Service. Agents commandeer an upstairs=20=
bedroom to spy across the street at Helen and Peter Kroger =E2=80=93 who hap=
pen to be Bob and Barbara's best friends. Neighborliness and compatibility a=
re revealed as counterfeit.=20
-Roger Lewis, Stage People, 1989
=20
With its understated, casual air, PACK OF LIES recalls a time when going to=20=
the theater was leisurely, civilized, sensible and habitual, as opposed to t=
rendy, unaffordable, frenetic and occasional. Here is a fairly new, good old=
-style play of the sort that seems to be in alarmingly short supply. It is n=
ot terribly well known, but it ought to be.=20
-Alvin Klein, The New York Times, July 13, 1986

Frank Rich, in his February 12, 1985 New York Times review wrote: =E2=80=9CT=
his is a play about the morality of lying, not the theatrics of espionage, a=
nd, in Mr. Whitemore's view, lying is a virulent disease that saps patriots=20=
and traitors alike of their humanity.=E2=80=9D At that time, Mr. Rich felt t=
he play was =E2=80=9Ctoo low key to support its weighty polemical message.=
=E2=80=9D Tony Brown repeats this theme in his November 12, 2006, Cleveland=20=
Plain Dealer review, stating; its =E2=80=9Ca pale imitation of Graham Greene=
 as a morality tale. Too bad, too, because the story line resonates with Pat=
riot Act America.=E2=80=9D William A. Henry III, in Time Magazine, February=20=
25, 1985, writes: =E2=80=9CWhitemore is more interested in private drama: th=
e anguish of having to uproot one's bedrock beliefs about people, the calami=
ty that results when global politics intrude on quiet lives.=E2=80=9D Christ=
ine Howey, Scene Magazine, November 8-14, 2006 explains it this way: =E2=80=
=9CIt's been observed that a person can fool a lie detector by simply believ=
ing his own lies. This may also explain how Dick Cheney can go on Sunday tal=
k shows and claim he never said what a videotape shows him saying. For most=20=
of us, that blissful state of self-delusion is not accessible...There are fa=
lsehoods aplenty in PACK OF LIES, now being given in a superb rendering by C=
esear's Forum.=E2=80=9D Still, James Damico, The Cleveland Free Times, Novem=
ber 15 -21, 2006, states: =E2=80=9CWhitemore's dramaturgy, unfortunately, is=
 short on the drama and long on the turgid. He takes far too long establishi=
ng the Jacksons' ordinary Pater Knows Best domesticity, and then dishonestly=
 withholds the neither complicated nor unexpected details of the Kroger's in=
volvement until deep in the second act. ...It's hardly shocking, therefore,=20=
to find that the most compelling feature of Cesear's Forum's present revival=
 is the performances.=E2=80=9D

It's the solid acting company that make this watchable, especially the two f=
emale leads. Juliette Regnier's brassy, engaging neighbor Helen steals every=
 scene she's in, nicely contrasting with Julia Kolibab's quiet, introverted=20=
=E2=80=9Cgood girl=E2=80=9D Barbara. Paul Floriano has a nice turn as the fu=
ssy agent who slowly takes over their house.=20
-Linda Eisenstein, Cool Cleveland, November 2006

The new Cleveland production...has a few acting sparkles, especially a nebbi=
shy Paul Floriano as the British spy-bureaucrat and Julia Kolibab and Juliet=
te Regnier as the housewives whose friendship has come to be rent asunder.
-Tony Brown, Cleveland Plain Dealer, November 12, 2006

In the lead, Julia Kolibab conveys sense, strength and sensitivity in equal=20=
parts, along with an uncloying warmth that seems as natural as breathing. Th=
e always watchable Juliette Regnier invests Helen with her usual dynamic ani=
mation. ...Paul Floriano insinuates Stewart as the devious bastard he is. ..=
.Alanna Romansky shines in a small part with an unusually striking radiance.=
=20
-James Damico, Cleveland Free Times, November 15-21, 2006

As Barbara, Julia Kolibab starts out prim and flat as a steam-ironed tablecl=
oth, but she gets progressively rumpled as the lies she is forced to tell to=
ss her neat existence into disarray. Paul Floriano is sublimely understated=20=
as Stewart, using his soft voice like a velvet garrote to strangle the life=20=
out of Barbara as he simply goes about his business. ...Juliette Regnier bri=
ngs welcome humor to her portrayal of the bumptious Helen...As ineffectual b=
ut loving Bob, Steven Hoffman is totally believable, as is Jennifer Mae Hoff=
man's feisty Julie. In a small role as Stewart's assistant spook, Alanna Rom=
ansky nails her character in just a few lines.

Curiously, we expect governments to lie, but not our friends. This subtle pl=
ay goes beyond its international-spy thriller trappings to ask a profound qu=
estion. Is real friendship based on truth or appearances?=20
-Christine Howey, Scene, November 8-14, 2006

PACK OF LIES, through December 9th (Friday and Saturday at 8 pm).
Kennedy's Down Under, Playhouse Square Center, 1501 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland=
, Ohio.=20
All seats $15. Tickets.com at 216-241-6000.
________________________________________________________________________
Check out the new AOL.  Most comprehensive set of free safety and security t=
ools, free access to millions of high-quality videos from across the web, fr=
ee AOL Mail and more.

----------MB_8C8E02428BA2A81_8E0_85D4_WEBMAIL-MA02.sysops.aol.com
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Content-Type: text/html; charset="utf-8"

<HTML><BODY>
<div> =20

<div style=3D"MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in"><FONT color=3D#000000><FONT size=3D3><U><B=
>PACK OF LIES</B></U></FONT></FONT></div>

<div style=3D"MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in"><br>
</div>

<div style=3D"MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in"><FONT color=3D#000000><FONT size=3D3>Cesea=
r's Forum continues its production of Hugh Whitemore's PACK OF LIES at Kenne=
dy's Down Under, Playhouse Square Center, Cleveland, OH, through December 9t=
h. Here are some written critiques of the play and current production:</FONT=
></FONT></div>

<div style=3D"MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in"><br>
</div>

<div style=3D"MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in"><SPAN lang=3Den-US><FONT size=3D3><FONT co=
lor=3D#000000><I>-Roger Lewis, <U>Stage People</U><SPAN style=3D"TEXT-DECORA=
TION: none">,</SPAN></I><SPAN style=3D"TEXT-DECORATION: none"><SPAN style=
=3D"FONT-STYLE: normal"> </SPAN><I>1989</I></SPAN></FONT></FONT></SPAN></div=
>

<div style=3D"MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in"><SPAN lang=3Den-US><FONT size=3D3><FONT co=
lor=3D#000000><SPAN style=3D"TEXT-DECORATION: none"><EM></EM></SPAN></FONT><=
/FONT></SPAN> </div>

<div style=3D"MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in"><FONT color=3D#000000><FONT size=3D3></FON=
T></FONT></div>

<div style=3D"MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in"><SPAN lang=3Den-US><FONT size=3D3><FONT co=
lor=3D#000000><I>-Alvin Klein, The New York Times, July 13, 1986</I></FONT><=
/FONT></SPAN></div>

<div style=3D"MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in; FONT-STYLE: normal; TEXT-DECORATION: none"=
><br>
</div>

<div style=3D"MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in; TEXT-DECORATION: none"><br>
</div>

<div style=3D"MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in"><SPAN style=3D"TEXT-DECORATION: none"><SPA=
N lang=3Den-US><FONT size=3D3><FONT color=3D#000000><SPAN style=3D"FONT-STYL=
E: normal">-</SPAN><I>Linda Eisenstein, Cool Cleveland, November 2006</I></F=
ONT></FONT></SPAN></SPAN></div>

<div style=3D"MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in; TEXT-DECORATION: none"><br>
</div>

<div style=3D"MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in"><SPAN style=3D"TEXT-DECORATION: none"><SPA=
N lang=3Den-US><FONT size=3D3><FONT color=3D#000000><I></I><SPAN style=3D"FO=
NT-STYLE: normal">The new Cleveland production...has a few acting sparkles,=20=
especially a nebbishy Paul Floriano as the British spy-bureaucrat and Julia=20=
Kolibab and Juliette Regnier as the housewives whose friendship has come to=20=
be rent asunder.</SPAN></FONT></FONT></SPAN></SPAN></div>

<div style=3D"MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in"><SPAN style=3D"TEXT-DECORATION: none"><SPA=
N lang=3Den-US><FONT size=3D3><FONT color=3D#000000><SPAN style=3D"FONT-STYL=
E: normal"></SPAN><I>-Tony Brown, Cleveland Plain Dealer, November 12, 2006<=
/I></FONT></FONT></SPAN></SPAN></div>

<div style=3D"MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in; TEXT-DECORATION: none"><br>
</div>

<div style=3D"MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in; FONT-STYLE: normal; TEXT-DECORATION: none"=
><FONT color=3D#000000><FONT size=3D3>In the lead, Julia Kolibab conveys sen=
se, strength and sensitivity in equal parts, along with an uncloying warmth=20=
that seems as natural as breathing. The always watchable Juliette Regnier in=
vests Helen with her usual dynamic animation. ...Paul Floriano insinuates St=
ewart as the devious bastard he is. ...Alanna Romansky shines in a small par=
t with an unusually striking radiance. </FONT></FONT></div>

<div style=3D"MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in"><SPAN style=3D"TEXT-DECORATION: none"><SPA=
N lang=3Den-US><FONT size=3D3><FONT color=3D#000000><SPAN style=3D"FONT-STYL=
E: normal">-</SPAN><I>James Damico, Cleveland Free Times, November 15-21, 20=
06</I></FONT></FONT></SPAN></SPAN></div>

<div style=3D"MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in; TEXT-DECORATION: none"><br>
</div>

<div style=3D"MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in; FONT-STYLE: normal; TEXT-DECORATION: none"=
><br>
</div>

<div style=3D"MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in; FONT-STYLE: normal; TEXT-DECORATION: none"=
><FONT color=3D#000000><FONT size=3D3>Curiously, we expect governments to li=
e, but not our friends. This subtle play goes beyond its international-spy t=
hriller trappings to ask a profound question. Is real friendship based on tr=
uth or appearances? </FONT></FONT></div>

<div style=3D"MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in"><SPAN style=3D"TEXT-DECORATION: none"><SPA=
N lang=3Den-US><FONT size=3D3><FONT color=3D#000000><SPAN style=3D"FONT-STYL=
E: normal"></SPAN><I>-Christine Howey, Scene, November 8-14, 2006</I></FONT>=
</FONT></SPAN></SPAN></div>

<div style=3D"MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in; TEXT-DECORATION: none"><br>
</div>

<div style=3D"MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in"><SPAN style=3D"TEXT-DECORATION: none"><SPA=
N style=3D"FONT-STYLE: normal"><SPAN lang=3Den-US><FONT size=3D3><FONT color=
=3D#000000>PACK OF LIES, through December 9<SUP>th</SUP> (Friday and Saturda=
y at 8 pm).</FONT></FONT></SPAN></SPAN></SPAN></div>

<div style=3D"MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in; FONT-STYLE: normal; TEXT-DECORATION: none"=
><FONT color=3D#000000><FONT size=3D3>Kennedy's Down Under, Playhouse Square=
 Center, 1501 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio. </FONT></FONT></div>

<div class=3D"AOLPromoFooter">
<hr style=3D"margin-top:10px;" />
<a href=3D"http://pr.atwola.com/promoclk/1615326657x4311227241x4298082137/ao=
l?redir=3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Eaol%2Ecom%2Fnewaol" target=3D"_blank">Check=20=
out the new AOL</a>. Most comprehensive set of free safety and security=20=
tools, free access to millions of high-quality videos from across the web, f=
ree AOL Mail and more. 
</div>

</BODY></HTML>

----------MB_8C8E02428BA2A81_8E0_85D4_WEBMAIL-MA02.sysops.aol.com--