As subscribers of digital cable may know, the Pulitzer Prize-winning play 'Dinner with Friends' is currently an HBO original movie. Receiving the usual amount of hype an HBO movie can expect, HBO subscribers are treated to brief specials of the premiere parties in both L.A. and New York, with flattering comments provided by the cast of 'Sex and the City.'
Locally, mild 'hype' for the Madison Repertory Theatre's currently running production of 'Dinner with Friends' could be associated with the Kennedy-Hahn Appliance commercials on the radio. These commercials proudly inform the listening public that Kennedy-Hahn is the provider of the fine appliances one would see should one go to see the Pulitzer Prize-winning play 'Dinner with Friends' sometime over the next month or so that it is running.
Yes, 'Dinner with Friends''everybody's talking about it. Well, probably everyone except for your average student, blissfully ignorant of writer Donald Margulies' most popular work thanks to a lack of cable, not to mention a lack of the funds it takes to even be interested in seeing much of anything at the Madison Civic Disobedience Center. That's ok, though, because author Margulies really didn't intend the college crowd to see his play in the first place. Rather, 'Dinner with Friends' speaks to those couples who frequent Madison's favorite hole in the ground on a regular basis: moneyed, middle-aged, liberally-minded patrons of the fine arts. Naturally, nothing is wrong with that. Everyone is entitled to their art, even rich people.
The story of two couples who have been friends for almost the entirety of their married lives, 'Dinner with Friends' explores the group dynamic as one couple, Beth and Tom, go through a divorce. Their yuppier counterparts, Karen and Gabe, serve as the yin to the yang of Beth and Tom's sudden dysfunction. Really the root cause of the whole problem, as shown in a scene from the past where a recently wed Karen and Gabe introduce Beth and Tom to each other, Karen and Gabe individually and collectively provide the catalyst for discussion of the new tragedy in the group's lives.
All four actors' performances are to be lauded, especially Richard Shavzin's skilled portrayal of Tom, Mr. Midlife Crisis. However, the real star is the set design of Rep veteran Frank Schneeberger. The rotating stage kept the play rolling as scenes jumped from Connecticut to Martha's Vineyard to Manhattan and back again, while featuring such wonders as two different full kitchens, both with a working sink.
As is to be expected from a Pulitzer Prize-winning play, the dialogue is intelligent, well-written and at times witty and amusing. However, most of the jokes will soar high above the heads of the unmarried 20-something theater attendee'especially the silent bed-making scene involving Beth and Tom, which for whatever reasons, a good half of the audience found extremely entertaining.
Of course, the Rep is doing some sort of reach-out to the campus community, offering discounted rush tickets to students on Thursday, Sept 13. It is little wonder, however, that this is happening on one day only, as the college student really will find their money better spent elsewhere, or perhaps saved for a theater production more appropriate for his or her demographic.
