Tony®, Emmy® and Golden Globe® nominee Patrick Stewart (X-Men, Star Trek, Macbeth) joins Emmy Award nominee T.R. Knight (Grey's Anatomy, Noises Off) in Pulitzer Prize winner David Mamet's loving and laugh-filled look at the state of the arts -- A Life in the Theatre. A behind-the-scenes peek at the challenge of actors battling to share both a dressing room and the spotlight, A Life in the Theatre follows two actors in a repertory company: Robert, an older, experienced performer and John, a newcomer to the stage. John at first welcomes Robert’s guidance, but soon overshadows his mentor. From rehearsals to reprisals, from ego trips to acting tips, the play gives a glimpse into the complex relationship that develops as the torch is passed from one generation to the next - a passing that wavers from love and mutual respect to impatience and resentment.
It's a trifle, but one that's dished out by Patrick Stewart and T.R. Knight (the puppyish George on 'Grey's Anatomy'), two skilled, likable stars with a mellow chemistry and spot-on timing.
The sets and costumes, by Santo Loquasto and Laura Bauer, make the visual jokes of the show work brilliantly. We see the actors in the dressing room, in an empty theater and in mid-production, watching from behind as they play to an imagined audience along the upstage wall. The actors work their way through doughboy uniforms for a World War I scene, Elizabethan costume for a discussion of fencing technique, Napoleonic dress for when their climb upon the barricades, and on and on.
1977 | Off-Broadway |
Off-Broadway |
1992 | Off-Broadway |
Off-Broadway |
2010 | Broadway |
Broadway Revival Broadway |
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