BWW Reviews: SMOKEFALL at Goodman Theatre

This review will be uncharacteristically short and to the point: Noah Haidle's SMOKEFALL, currently occupying the Goodman's Albert stage following last year's successful Owen run, is absolutely stunning.

It's a near-perfect show (I wish Act 2 featured the interactions found in Act 1) performed with nuance, honesty, and underlying compassion from Catherine Combs, Anne Forgarty, Katherine Keberlein, Guy Massey, Eric Slater, and the consummate power-house Mike Nussbaum. Haidle's characters speak of love, life, & family, and each simple observation rings of genuine truth.

Kevin Depinet's set is a wonder and Lindsay Jones' sound design is thrilling. Director Anne Kauffman has daftly staged one of the best new plays in years. I cannot italicize or bold the words 'best' and 'years' enough.

I walked into last night's opening knowing SMOKEFALL was akin to Thornton Wilder's Our Town, but that was all. Nothing else. I highly recommend knowing just as little, but cannot recommend it enough.

I adored it. See SMOKEFALL.

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PHOTO CREDIT: Liz Lauren

SMOKEFALL runs now through Oct 26, 2014 on the Goodman's Albert stage. For tickets and information, visit www.goodmantheatre.org. To post a comment, you must register and login.

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