Saturday, December 6, 2014

reviews TOMMY J & SALLY Black Theatre Troupe

For information on this production, that runs through December 14th, click here

"Plays about differences in the races and the sexes are usually highly intriguing. So it's a shame that playwright Mark Medoff's Tommy J & Sally is over talkative and at times even boring when the subject matter and situations should result in a suspenseful, crackling drama. Black Theatre Troupe's production opened last week and, while the direction, cast and creative elements are professional, they can't do much to improve upon the shortfalls of Medoff's script." -Gil Benbrook, Talkin' Broadway

"A Black man and a Jewish woman locked in a room with a gun and their identity issues: That's the recipe for drama in Tommy J & Sally. The situation is an unconvincing contrivance designed to let the playwright hold forth on various matters of cultural contention, and Medoff's mannered, bordering-on-twee dialogue unfortunately gets the best of this two-actor cast." -Kerry Lengel, Arizona Republic

"As an allegory both of human bondage to ethnic stereotyping and of the quest for self-discovery and redemption, it is a challenging work to produce, primarily because of the demands it places on its two actors to navigate and sustain a mix of contrasting emotions.  Roosevelt Watts shines in his portrayal of Tommy J.  This is a contest of wills and perceptions that is well worth seeing, not only for the mirror it places in front of all of us but also for its relevance in these days of racial turmoil.  " -Herbert Paine, Broadway World

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