Reviewing theater from Broadway to the Fringe since 1994
But for the outstanding cast (especially Finneran and Nacer) and elevated production, The Receptionist would leave us feeling like its revival was merely an opportunity to rub salt into an open, unhealed wound, still festering after more than two decades.
The Longwood Players have created a sensitive, thoughtful production of a tenacious, challenging play.
Although the script lags in places (the plot is thin on action overall), there are dazzling moments, such as the stormy scene that sends our four survivors onto a lifeboat for six days. Lost at sea with no provisions or refuge from the scorching sun, their songs focus on hunger, hopelessness and horrible sins they would consider committing if it guaranteed they would stay alive.
There’s a lot to like about this production, whether you’re familiar with Beethoven’s life story or not. Despite its occasional flaws, Arlekin’s Beethoven crescendos in the audience’s imagination.
