Monday, March 2, 2015

The Book Club Play @ Actors' Summit


Through March 15, 2015

Greystone Hall, 103 High St., Akron, 330-374-7568 
Bob Abelman

Director MaryJo Alexander recognizes this play’s potential and is skilled enough to follow up on it.  Through clever casting , fast pacing, and a concerted effort to reel in what comes across on the page as disingenuous, Alexander finds common ground between what is acerbic and what is asinine.  There are still moments when one brand of comedy wins out over the other and when an actor cannot find the humanity in the humor.  But the end result is a very funny play that will appeal to just about everyone.  

To see a full review of this show, read Bob Abelman's article here
http://www.clevelandjewishnews.com/columnists/bob_abelman/


Kerry Clawson

As heavy-handed as the unlikable Ana is, playwright Karen Zacarias’ comedy, now running at Actors’ Summit in downtown Akron, is heavy-handed too. There’s nothing subtle or surprising about her humor: The play’s heightened sense of self-awareness leads to trite-sounding dialogue that overstates the obvious.  The comedy, which premiered in 2008 in Bethesda, Md., feels dated and overly simplistic now as it proffers a sort of book club for dummies to explain what the 'Twilight' series and Twihards are.


To see a full review of this show, read Kerry Clawson's review here.


Mark Horning

The Book Club Play is an absolutely delightful way to spend an afternoon or evening.  The writing is smart and witty and the comic timing is superb.  There are some truly funny moments that have a universal appeal even to those not in book clubs.  This one is a real page turner.

To see a full review of this show, read Mark Horning's blog.