proof
Peter Hardy says here's what Wendell Brock had to say in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
BOOK OF LIZ ROLLS OUT GOOFY, GOOEY BALL OF FUN
In this ridiculous concoction, Sedaris family fans will see glimmers of Amy's hopelessly lost Jerri Blank ("Strangers With Candy") and David's fascination with misfits, potty humor and kitsch. The latter's satirical essays can be splendidly entertaining, but in this picaresque howler, the siblings give voice to their warped observations by sketching 3-D cartoons that exist in an outer frontier of silliness. Director Lee Nowell's cast is game to wallow in the tasteless fun and chew on a script that riffs on religious hypocrisy and the empowerment kick while sending up vintage Hollywood potboilers and American classics from "The Scarlet Letter" to "The Crucible." In "Liz," [the Essential Theatre has] picked a turkey - in a good way. Stuffed with cheese and sleaze and covered with nuts, the show is a sinful treat for Sedaris fans and their brethren.
And here's Curt Holman in Creative Loafing:
Amy and David Sedaris' The Book of Liz follows a member of a low-tech Amish-style sect as she ventures into the brave new world of strip-mall America ... [Rachel] Craw makes the woman a sympathetic, gently humorous foil to the kooky characters she encounters, from a dancing Mr. Peanut to a pilgrim-themed restaurant populated by members of Alcoholics Anonymous. Director Lee Nowell sets a snappy pace and gives enough leeway to Topher Payne's posing, hair-waving Brother Brightbee and Dede Bloodworth's dithering Sister Butterworth to find huge laughs without going too far over the top ... inspired silliness.
I say:
buulllshit.
BOOK OF LIZ ROLLS OUT GOOFY, GOOEY BALL OF FUN
In this ridiculous concoction, Sedaris family fans will see glimmers of Amy's hopelessly lost Jerri Blank ("Strangers With Candy") and David's fascination with misfits, potty humor and kitsch. The latter's satirical essays can be splendidly entertaining, but in this picaresque howler, the siblings give voice to their warped observations by sketching 3-D cartoons that exist in an outer frontier of silliness. Director Lee Nowell's cast is game to wallow in the tasteless fun and chew on a script that riffs on religious hypocrisy and the empowerment kick while sending up vintage Hollywood potboilers and American classics from "The Scarlet Letter" to "The Crucible." In "Liz," [the Essential Theatre has] picked a turkey - in a good way. Stuffed with cheese and sleaze and covered with nuts, the show is a sinful treat for Sedaris fans and their brethren.
And here's Curt Holman in Creative Loafing:
Amy and David Sedaris' The Book of Liz follows a member of a low-tech Amish-style sect as she ventures into the brave new world of strip-mall America ... [Rachel] Craw makes the woman a sympathetic, gently humorous foil to the kooky characters she encounters, from a dancing Mr. Peanut to a pilgrim-themed restaurant populated by members of Alcoholics Anonymous. Director Lee Nowell sets a snappy pace and gives enough leeway to Topher Payne's posing, hair-waving Brother Brightbee and Dede Bloodworth's dithering Sister Butterworth to find huge laughs without going too far over the top ... inspired silliness.
I say:
buulllshit.
posted by maryk at 6:25 PM
4 Comments:
was it the script or the production? more please.
production.
please don't say anything to Dede when you see her next. just saw her yesterday and didn't say a word about even seeing it.
honestly, i think it was first and foremost the casting that was off. couple people i thought shouldn't have even been on stage, much less in this show (not dede, 2 guys). then direction. punchlines were thundered through and lost. really good stuff. rachel had 2 lines that our group laughed about for minutes, b/c her delivery was right. i'm sure there were other characters' lines like that, but who could tell. dede had a line that i laughed at loudly, it was very strangers with candy about the "jews." classic sedaris (that sounds gay)
Are you going to see "Charm School" Monday night? I'll probably drag Skip to go see it because Daniel Burnley is in it.
I got so excited seeing your Yukon Cornelius photo, but I had already hit the "comments" button, so lost it. "The thing about Bumbles...Bumbles bounce!"
Yay!
damn, now i wish i'd seen it so i could jump on the BS train. but i gotta do my taxes before april 20th. oh and i quit seeing theater in atlanta cuz it mostly suxxx. and in a way that you can see where the intention was good but there's no effort, work, or follow thru and commitment. it's LAAAAA-ZY.
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