Arts & Leisure – by Steve Tesich

Written by the popular author of On the Open Road and other works, this brilliantly caustic play is built around a self absorbed drama critic who judges theatre and life by the same criteria, to absurd extremes. He is confronted by the bitter, alienated women who have suffered from his unyielding clinical detachment and his determination to judge suffering, global and personal, by its dramatic impact on him. These include his ex wife, a former actress who is losing her grip; his tragic daughter, a stand up comedienne; his forlornly empathetic old mother and his acrimonious housekeeper and confidante. The critic longs for human contact but conducts his life as a series of pat scenes that avoid the messy and tangled issues of real relationships.

Released: 1997