Reviews
Dark People, Dark Places In Theater
In 1962, when Edward Albee’s “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” premièred, George and Martha set the standard for marital mayhem. They caviled and carped and stung and deviled each other in front of guests, and theatergoers were stunned. Still, this was the way George and Martha entertained each other. Maybe even loved each other. But…
Nicky Silver’s The Lyons Not Quite A Roaring Comedy
There is something oddly disturbing about a dark comedy. The theatregoer is presented with a situation that is typically considered tragic but, instead, they find themselves laughing at things that would normally be considered inappropriate as comic fodder. Such is the case with Nicky Silver’s The Lyons, now playing at TheatreWorks New Milford. Ben Lyons is…
New Milford’s ‘The Lyons’ roars (4.5 out of 5 stars)
Family dynamics can be fraught with anger especially during a crisis. Nicky Silver, who wrote “The Lyons,” takes a close look at a family gathered around the dying patriarch’s bedside. Don’t expect sentimental professions in this blunt, uproarious comedy. Instead, expect to witness the results of a family that has been completely disconnected emotionally for…
An evening of exceptional regional theatre
Gripping the audience from the opening dialogue, amidst whirring expletives, the sterling cast of Nicky Silver’s The Lyons delivers this production the way it was intended with blistering wit, an edge of cruelty and sublime interaction. Nicky Silver is a contemporary American playwright residing in New York City. The Lyons is his first play to be produced on Broadway…
The dark comedy is both hilarious & heart breaking with a cast at the top of their game
Dysfunctional doesn’t begin to describe The Lyons. But the humor is abundant in the masterful production running right now at Theatreworks New Milford. The dark comedy is at times both hilarious and heart breaking with a cast at the top of their game. As Ben Lyons lies dying, his wife of forty years, Rita, flips through…
Exploring ‘the joy and the terror of the theater’ at TheatreWorks New Milford
If the walls could talk inside the Brookside Avenue structure that houses TheatreWorks New Milford, you’d probably hear lots of praying. The 1901 building was originally a church, so those early prayers were likely the religious kind. But now that it’s been a community theater for 40-plus years, the prayers have a different ring to them.…
Playwright Nicky Silver talks family ties, lost plays, and getting back to basics.
Nicky Silver is the author of such celebrated plays as PTERODACTYLS, RAISED IN CAPTIVITY, THE FOOD CHAIN, and most recently at The Vineyard, BEAUTIFUL CHILD and the lab of THE AGONY AND THE AGONY. Nicky spoke with Co-Artistic Director Sarah Stern about THE LYONS and the unforgettable family at its center. I’m calling to interview…
Entertaining, riotously funny and sometimes it’s a scream
“Of course she’s evil–she’s a theater critic.” – Martha Gillette A castle. Christmas Eve. Murder. Rubbing my hands together I smile. The Games Afoot or Holmes for the Holidays is my kind of play! Ken Ludwig is an American playwright and theater director whose works have been performed all over the world. His first Broadway play, Lend Me…
Life Is A Game And ‘The Game’s Afoot’
NEW MILFORD — Nothing says Merry Christmas like a good old fashioned, hilariously funny murder-mystery. Theatreworks New Milford’s holiday offering of Ken Ludwig’s The Game’s Afoot or Holmes for the Holidays is just that. Elaborately set in a grand mansion style country home on the Connecticut River, this riotous farce is good old fashioned fun, fun, fun.…
“The Game’s Afoot” at TheatreWorks New Milford
“The Game’s Afoot” got mixed reviews in its original production. Some critics said it was incredibly suspenseful. Others said it was absolutely hilarious. Personally, I think it’s equal parts murder mystery and farce. The production, which opened at Theatreworks New Milford this weekend, is fast-paced and pokes merciless fun at the egotistical theater people but…