SATIRE AND SEAFOOD

posted by James Reel

    In the latest Tucson Weekly, I review two plays and one restaurant. Here’s my main point about the production of Stones in His Pocket at Beowulf Alley:

Director Susan Arnold doesn't slight the play's comedic elements, but she does seem more interested in the serious implications of the second half; she and the actors downplay the obvious satire a bit--the performances would surely have been more over the top at some other local theaters--and end up treating Charlie and Jake with real integrity. So there's a lower bellylaugh count during the performance, but, thanks to this restraint, the play leaves a longer aftertaste.

    The whole review, including a fuller plot summary than I usually care to provide, is here. While you’re at the site, take a look at my review of the University of Arizona’s production of Candide, about which I’ll repeat here only this: “Whether Leonard Bernstein's Candide is a musical or an operetta is a pointless argument; it's simply a fabulous theater work, currently enjoying a splendid production by the UA's Arizona Repertory Theatre.”
    Finally, I check out an unpretentious but good little Mexican restaurant called San Carlos Grill, the report lurking here.