I saw a wonderful production of The Dining Room this evening. It is on nights like these that I remember why I love the theatre. It was an excellent show. All elements came together for a great evening. I love the play. It's sweet and gentle and funny and touching without being maudlin. This production is a very good example of marvelous direction. It's hard to explain direction but you know bad direction when you see a badly directed play and you know good direction when you see something like this. The staging was well thought out and made beautiful pictures as well as emphasizing points in the dialogue. There is a bit that takes place under the dining room table which was full of so many different things that you wonder how the actors were able to play them all, but they did. There is also a touching scene near the end which takes place on two chairs. No movement, just two actors talking and listening and reacting. It was a touching and believable moment in time. The physicality of the actors (a group of 6 who played multiple roles from children to adults and seniors) was also great to see. This production is a great example of how to explain listening and reacting as an actor. When you're doing a show of course you have to know your lines but you can't just wait for your cue and say the line when it's time. You have to listen to the actors around you and you have to make your lines sound real and natural. You have to listen and look and react. This cast did it so well. If you're in New York (and not too busy seeing a NYMF show) I highly recommend this production. It runs through October 14th (Tuesday through Sunday). It's a good, solid revival of one of my favorites shows.
