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Audience Reviews - Suddenly Last Summer (Submit your own review)
04/23/2009
5 gold stars - great production.
Suddenly
04/21/2009
Totally enjoyed this quality production. Especially pleased to see the talent of Kate Donadio up close. Suddenly Last Summer is a masterpiece not to missed if you love true classic theater.
04/20/2009
Absolutely the best performance at AE in the more than ten years I've been attending. Violet's performance was spectacular!
Untitled
04/20/2009
It's not Williams' best work but Shannon Eubanks is amazing!
suddenly last summer
04/20/2009
Well done. Sabastian's Mother and Catherine were excellent. believable and in character all the way. Certainly covered the stage l to R and Forward and back. I am sure everyone had a good view of the action. The Doctor seemed to be a little unsure of himself and less commanding than the other characters. Other than that...Well done.
I do want to congratulate you on your courage and your talent pool that enable you to bring to your audience some of the most exciting new works and challenging roles I have seen in our city. As a seasoned theater lover my expectations are always fulfilled at Actor's Express. Thankyou
Suddenly Last Summer Review
04/20/2009
Fabulous - amazingly well acted and direction was spot on!
Suddenly Last Summer
04/20/2009
This was one of the best performances we've seen yet at
Actor's Express. The acting was superb, worthy of the standing ovation it received! We now have season tickets to your theater.
04/20/2009
Fair production of a weak play.
Well done!!!
04/20/2009
Well acted...great NOLA feel. TW would have been proud. Thoroughly entertained....
04/20/2009
Well done, but I didn't enjoy the three-sided stage. I had trouble understanding when the actor's back was to me or the view of the actor was blocked by another actor.
How about Suddenly Next Fall?
04/20/2009
This was an outstanding production, truly first rate. The Director, cast and crew combined their talents to bring us a provocative, disturbing, engaging, captivating and sometimes electrifying evening. I am still rolling it over in my mind, and I will never forget it!
Kudos to the Artistic Director for choosing to mount this seldom-seen Tennessee Williams piece. It was an excellent choice, and a terrific platform for everyone's talents. I hope AE rummages through the literature for other interesting, quirky, quality works that could also use a fresh airing.
I also hope AE considers a limited re-mount of this production, so even more people can enjoy -- and be affected by -- this remarkable production.
A stunning performance!!!
04/20/2009
Suddenly Last Summer was flawless! My partner and I attended performance and were blown away by the rapport of the ensemble. Every role was played to perfection...even down to the sneeze (undoubtedly not planned) by the nun and Catherine's acknowledgment of it - "Bless you, Sister" without missing a beat. You can tell this cast has owned their characters!
Please pass on my praise to your cast and crew for a truly unforgettable evening.
suddenly last summer
04/20/2009
just did not enjoy this show. the acting was "ok " but just too slow for us. i'm sorry to say this...
Suddenly Last Summer
04/20/2009
Excellent production - Kate was absolutely amazing as Catherine! We thought the seating arrangement around the stage and the set were both perfect for the play. My husband and I have been very impressed with the two Express shows we have seen and are looking forward to attending more.
Breathtaking...Could easily have been on Broadway!
04/16/2009
What an extraordinary production. Magnificent in every way....and what an exceptional cast.....Perfect.....Kate Donadio's Catherine is a work of genius. Must be seen to be believed.
Spectacular!!
04/15/2009
Absolutely one of the best productions I have ever seen of any play. The direction, cast, support staff (all support!) was just spot-on. Thank you all for an incredible theatre experience.
04/15/2009
This was an excellent production. I am so glad I saw it. How about Cat on a Hot Tin Roof next.
SUPERLATIVE !
04/15/2009
A superlative production of Williams' work. Masterful character interpretatons. Theatre of this quality is too rarely achieved. Not to be missed. Highest congratulations to Actor's Express!
04/14/2009
Absolutely superb! Brilliant acting! Can't wait for the next performance.
First class acting
04/14/2009
It's a slight play, but made electric in this staging by the acting. Mrs Venables' malign intelligence was wonderfully captured by Shannon Eubanks, and Kate Donadio's teetering-on-the-brink Catherine was vulnerable, defiant and beautiful. They were well-supported by the rest of the cast and the production.
One quibble - the program notes were almost content-free, and lobotomy has no 'a' in it.
Very Powerful Production
04/11/2009
Had it not been for great reviews from AJC and at
http://www.theaterreview.com - a super volunteer resource for Atlanta theatre reviews, by the way - check it out and pass it on - I might have skipped this play. Tennessee Williams in inept hands is painful.
AE's production is really superb. Wonderful directing and acting, and evocative design. 90 minutes with the punch of twice that. As someone else commented, Tennessee would surely have been proud of this subtle, beautiful, treatment.
I'm not usually one for koolaid enthusiasms, but the work at Express really has been a privilege over the years. Mauritius, Pillowman, Blue Orange, Loot - all memorable in their very different ways, always well cast and tightly directed so that they connect, with me at least. I just kick myself for missing out on other shows, such as Ms Eubanks' and Ms Donadio's previous outing, which must have been another treat.
Keep it coming - especially the serious / provocative drama, as long as there are enough of us with the appetite for that to fill your seats.
Wow!
04/08/2009
This an actors Show. In that to take on these roles is almost a death wish, but both female leads suprised me beyond! Set was so well done with wisps of gardens and decay; the point of the decay of the relationship of Sabastion and Violet really made more impact than any other production, or the movie...Good Going all!
Wonderful show!
04/06/2009
What a fantastic theater experience. The dialogue was so enthralling and presented so flawlessly that I thought I was actually in the garden with the actors. Thank you so much.
Run to see this!
04/06/2009
This was a stunning production. I LOVED it. The acting was breathtaking, and of course Tennesee Williams is as extraordinary. I told all my friends to run, not walk, to see this production.
RAVE REVIEW
04/06/2009
Shannon and her family are personal friends of ours and aside from that my wife and I consider them to be a very accomplished family of actors. But I must say that we were particularly moved at how alive each character became in the play and how stitched together each part was to create an unsettling truth in the end! GREAT JOB!!!!
Excellence at AE
04/06/2009
Hardly cutting edge; certainly not focused on critical contemporary issues...
Our expectations for AE's Suddenly Last Summer were minimal at best... and boy were we wrong...
The presentation was electric; it was mesmerizing... the sum total of what happens when you put polished professionals to work with an exceptional script...
"Suddenly" was one of the best evenings we've invested (we're longterm season ticket holders) at Actor's Express in years ...
Suddenly last summer
04/06/2009
We all loved it! We agreed that it was VERY MEMORABLE THEATRE, and we will never know how the actors/actresses memorized all those lines!
04/06/2009
Great show! Flawless all around: acting, set design, lighting etc
Wow!
04/04/2009
This is one of the best acted performances I've seen in Atlanta in a long time. The cast is absolutely superb, and I was on the edge of my seat the entire play. The actresses playing Catharine & Mrs. Venable had amazing interaction. The Doctor was a perfect mix of handsome and cheesy. And Mrs. Holly was amazing - you could SEE the conflict between love for child and greed - what a great performance! I do agree with an earlier reviewer that the costumes could use work - Mrs. Venable's, in particular - wouldn't a fashionable older lady NOT have pink hair? and what 80 year old can wear heels? But that's nit picking. The performance was amazing, and we're even planning to see it again - there's so much nuance and it's enthralling! LOVED IT!!!
A SIZZLING 'Summer!'
04/03/2009
Tennessee is a tough climb for actors and a thrill, if done well, for audiences. This production had me holding my breath -- exciting, tense, moving. The fact the play runs a mere 90 minutes means this impressive cast must grab you immediately, and they deliver.
So many fine performances but I must single out the thinly veiled desperation of Ms. Howarth as the victim's torn mother. She was delicious to watch!
Suddenly Last Summer
04/01/2009
This production demonstrates the incredible talents of Atlanta design talents. The soundscape, costumes, lighting and wonderful set all enhance the cast's telling the story.
I went to see the show with my son and his new girlfriend. I just met her and she had not yet met my wife. I assured her that she would receive a warm Mrs. Venable welcome when she met my wife.
This is play does not end when you leave the theatre. We enjoyed talking about the production after we got home.
Suddenly Last Summer
03/31/2009
Great play. Done very well by all involved. Not a bad seat in the house.
loved this play!
03/31/2009
the actors did such an incredible job! i recommended it to all my friends and might have to go and see the incredibly emotional portrayal of Tennessee Williams characters
Suddenly Last Summer
03/31/2009
This was our first visit to Actor's Express. My husband and I were so very impressed with the facility, the intimacy of the theatre but mostly the professionalism of the actors. We were thoroughly entertained! We plan to come back again...and this time pay more for our tickets!
Worth a visit.
03/31/2009
I thought this production at Actors Express was great step-up of productions of the past. The acting was solid, staging well-rehearsed, and directing amicable. There were a couple missed lines and repeats but the actors professionalism won out.
Its a great play and this production is worth the visit.
Excellent performances!
03/31/2009
The actors were first rate and at the top of their game. One of the best productions of a Williams play I have seen. Eubanks and Donadio's performances never missed a beat and they were supported by an incredible cast.
Technically, I was distracted by a couple of minor prop details, (the filtered cigarettes and the pen used by the doctor.) and two of the costumes that lacked the attention they needed. The choice of costume put on Catherine was the most distracting as it was definitely a late Sixties, early Seventies knit dress that only needed a cap to turn her into a Stewardess for Pan Am. I understand the limits of budget but a simple flowing, longer skirt would have added the period detail. The actress would also benefit from a slip onstage, especially since she is wearing white under those lights. For those of us who know, (and there are some of us who do,) her costume did not reflect the silhouette of an Elsa Schiaparelli afternoon dress. Mrs. Holly's was too short to be period and looked more like a "Mother of the Bride" ensemble from the Eighties. Mrs. Venable's costume was perfect to the core and I wish this much detail had been paid to the other two actresses. The set was brilliant, but most of the hanging palms were missed by the audience and could have added a strong sense of foreboding to Sebastian's garden if they had been hanging a little lower.
Aside from that, I have recommended this to everyone I know as a performance not to be missed at Actor's. GOOD JOB!
Suddenly LA
ast Sunner
03/30/2009
My husband and I did not drive as far as the 16 year old and we had no expectations when the play started, however, we were both greatly impressed by the play itself and the superb acting. We see many community plays and this was by far one of the best.
Stunning!
03/29/2009
The production was stunning. The cast was solid. The counterpoint between Shannon Eubanks' Mrs. Venable and Kate Donadio's Catherine was a wonderful balance of dark and light. WELL DONE!
Production was exquisite but.....
03/29/2009
The acting and overall production was superb with rich character development and powerful presentation.
That said, this production tipped the season over the deep end with psychological dramas. Producing Suddenly Last Summer and Finn in the Underworld in the same season weighs the audience down. One in a season demonstrates the serious side of drama, two tips the scale in the wrong direction.
Lastly, we don't know if the seats for this production are the same as for others but were very uncomfortable throughout the production. It may have been the placement of the seats or the lack of an intermission but the discomfort took away from our enjoyment
A Triumph!
03/29/2009
"Suddenly Last Summer" is a triumph! The set was superb, the lighting subtle, sound effects appropriate, costumes understated and superb, the New Orleans accents real, and the actors in great form!
Easily the best play produced by AE in the 12 years I have been a season subscriber! This was obviously extremely well directed by someone who knew what she was doing. This type of play needed an experienced hand with a gloved touch and it got it. "Mauritius", the last AE production, could have used this type of direction. Conflict in both plays, difference in night and day in how it was handled.
opening night was exquisite
03/24/2009
This cast is near perfection. The set creates a real sense of place.
Each moment of the play is powerful and sharp.
I think that means that the direction was incredibly skilled.
Now I realize that the movie left me feeling like clouds were obscuring the story - not revealing it.
So glad to see this at AE.
First Rate!
03/23/2009
This production is first rate. We enjoyed this better than the recent Broadway revival with Blythe Danner. Kate and Shannon are exceptional. We may have to see it again.
wonderful
03/19/2009
I thought everyone did a splendid job in Suddenly Last Summer.
I thought Shannon did very well because by the end i wanted to punch her, haha.
Joe was wonderful as well because i could see him shift from not believing Catherine, to believing her, and i could see the compassion in his character.
Kate had the most difficult role, as she needed to act sporatic and unstable and i could see the defeat she felt from everyone not believing her
Tennessee Williams would have been proud!
I am sixteen, and drove all the way from Birmingham, Alabama to watch this play. It was worth it too!
Joe Sykes, Kate Donadio, and Shannon Eubanks did an especially phenomenal job.
thank you for entertaining me tonight!
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Actor's Express
Theatre Company
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Box Office: 404.607.SHOW(7469)
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