Every once in a great while, a jewel is discovered; that’s how I felt after I saw Shortly After Take Off.
I had the chance to see this play through a theater list I’m on. I check out Off Off Broadway stuff as regularly as I can, after all it is the proving ground of theater.
The play is set to parallel the Vietnam era with our own time. A manic mother truly obsessed with herself, doesn’t have the ability to listen to her own sons. So afraid to be alone after her husband dies. She marries the first kind man to show interest. Her own delusional self involvement alienates her family. Her fifteen year old son is caught in that awkward teenage place, trying to develop his own place in the world and voice as an artist while caught in his families dysfunctional tornado.
The acting merges remarkably well with the difficult script. It does lack a bit of creativity, yet makes up for it in shear passion. I was marveled and quite overjoyed to watch the actors bring the characters alive with such vibrant fervor. I truly cared about the characters and found myself understanding the hard choices they had to make.
Oh, there are also cute boys in the play. I know, it shouldn’t matter yet it does.
You can find more info on the website Shortly After Take Off. Don’t let the poor marketing fool you, I can’t stress how good this play is. For $20 you can see a really great play that’s really worth watching. It’s not light yet is a perfect date outing. Buy tickets at TheaterMania. The production runs till April 2nd. I hope you get a chance to see it.
Comments