The Good Doctor
written by Neil Simon
Directed by Jeff Steitzer
Where: Thompson Theater at the Roselle Center for the Arts
(University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware)
A pleasant, humorous night at the theater is what you'll get if you venture over to the lovely Roselle Center for the Arts at the University of Delaware to see the Resident Ensemble Players' production of Neil Simon's 1973 play The Good Doctor. Made up of a series of vignettes created by our onstage Russian writer-narrator (who is essentially playing writer Anton Chekhov...but more on that in a bit), the play itself seems a little disjointed at times in terms of overall theme and tone, but more often than not, UD's REP troupe succeeds at creating a wonderful theatrical experience.
I always wonder whether it should be a criteria for one to know any background prior to watching a play, or (in the case of this play) should the playwright have crafted things in such a way that someone who is not well versed in "classic Russian literature" still completely understand what is going on? If the latter is the case, there were certainly things in The Good Doctor that I just didn't understand. Two very serious vignettes in particular (one very obviously borrowing from Chekhov's play Three Sisters) left me completely befuddled as to why Neil Simon put them in this play. The tonal shift these scenes create at the beginning of Act II is kind of a shock to the system. That said, I certainly appreciated the weight of these scenes (the other being an absolutely lovely and poignant song performed by two elderly people longing to love again), but I didn't quite get why they were there. Had I read more Chekhov, I may have understood...but I haven't, so it left me at a loss.
Still, this lovely production proves once again that when the REP is on top of their game, they are the best ticket in town. From a simplistic, yet nicely utilized set by William Browing (complete with the first theatrical "red curtain" I've seen used by the troupe...I think) to the absolutely beautiful costumes by guest artist Laura Crow, the production values are up to the REP's usual high standards.
And the acting ensemble here (all of whom play multiple roles) may be the best I've seen all season (and lest you forget that this company has had some really great productions so far this year). A wonderful mix of the REP and the soon-to-be-graduating PTTP class, it's impossible to tell who are the elder statesmen and who are the up-and-comers. Stand-outs this time around from the PTTP include Andrew Goldwasser who plays a man who chooses an unfortunate time to sneeze and Erik Mathew as a sly lothario. Carine Montbertrand, as always, proves to be a winner in a role much more slapsticky than I've seen before from her. Also excellent was guest actor Drew Brehl who, along with PTTP member Ben Charles, provide the night's biggest belly laughs in a scene involving an aching tooth.
The play itself is what isn't perfect here. The tonal shifts were a bit off-putting to me and I can't help but think that even my favorite scenes probably could have succeeded a bit more if they were trimmed of three minutes of dialog, but that's a fault of the playwright. In fact, there's really nothing that the REP troupe themselves does wrong here...on their end, this production's pretty close to perfection.
I always wonder whether it should be a criteria for one to know any background prior to watching a play, or (in the case of this play) should the playwright have crafted things in such a way that someone who is not well versed in "classic Russian literature" still completely understand what is going on? If the latter is the case, there were certainly things in The Good Doctor that I just didn't understand. Two very serious vignettes in particular (one very obviously borrowing from Chekhov's play Three Sisters) left me completely befuddled as to why Neil Simon put them in this play. The tonal shift these scenes create at the beginning of Act II is kind of a shock to the system. That said, I certainly appreciated the weight of these scenes (the other being an absolutely lovely and poignant song performed by two elderly people longing to love again), but I didn't quite get why they were there. Had I read more Chekhov, I may have understood...but I haven't, so it left me at a loss.
Still, this lovely production proves once again that when the REP is on top of their game, they are the best ticket in town. From a simplistic, yet nicely utilized set by William Browing (complete with the first theatrical "red curtain" I've seen used by the troupe...I think) to the absolutely beautiful costumes by guest artist Laura Crow, the production values are up to the REP's usual high standards.
And the acting ensemble here (all of whom play multiple roles) may be the best I've seen all season (and lest you forget that this company has had some really great productions so far this year). A wonderful mix of the REP and the soon-to-be-graduating PTTP class, it's impossible to tell who are the elder statesmen and who are the up-and-comers. Stand-outs this time around from the PTTP include Andrew Goldwasser who plays a man who chooses an unfortunate time to sneeze and Erik Mathew as a sly lothario. Carine Montbertrand, as always, proves to be a winner in a role much more slapsticky than I've seen before from her. Also excellent was guest actor Drew Brehl who, along with PTTP member Ben Charles, provide the night's biggest belly laughs in a scene involving an aching tooth.
The play itself is what isn't perfect here. The tonal shifts were a bit off-putting to me and I can't help but think that even my favorite scenes probably could have succeeded a bit more if they were trimmed of three minutes of dialog, but that's a fault of the playwright. In fact, there's really nothing that the REP troupe themselves does wrong here...on their end, this production's pretty close to perfection.
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