The Wooden Breeks

This was sort of a slow weekend for theatre - only one show, a bit unusual for Kevin and me, but having seen only one show makes me appreciate it a bit more. That show was The Wooden Breeks, at Lucille Lortel. Going in to the show, I can't lie, I had very low expectations, having heard some rather uninspiring things about the production.

It's a bit hard to explain the plot, as it's a fantasy story set in a made-up world - but let's just say that the main character deals with the loss of his great love and being left to care for her child. This main character, played by Adam Rothenburg, constructs the tale as he goes along - leading the audience on all sorts of twists and turns, all the while trying to figure out a sort of riddle - which has a very cool unveiling at the end of the play. I won't give it away here, but it's also nice to hear the young boy in the story tell the audience what Wooden Breeks really are.

I don't really want to get into the plot much more, because it's too confusing to read, I'd suggest going to see it instead. Kevin's main qualm with the show was its length, at 2:15. I agree, some of it could be cut, but as I've been told, the playwright spent about 12 years constructing this story, and I'm sure he was very connected to each word. I also was told that it started out at 3:00 and has been cut significantly.

All in all, some solid acting in the show by Adam Rothenburg, T. Ryder Smith as the lighthouse attendent, and Ron Cephas Jones as the grave-digger. The set was impressive, and I was surprised by how much was done with what seemed like such a sparse space. I suppose all together I was glad that I had low expectations for the show because I came out really liking what I had seen. It'll be interesting to see what the reviewers say after opening night, which is tonight, 2/21.