As you will know from my previous reactions to most one act plays, I like an intermission for its social aspect, for the occasion he gives me to consider and discuss the play during the interval, and for the fact that the corollary of an intermission is that the play is long enough, and the action and technicalities and demands on the performers rigorous enough to require one. As well, I have a built in bias against plays performed by a single actor; generally such plays are as much a strain for the audience as for the performer, who generally pulls out every trick in the book to show a vast repertoire of acting skills. It was again with some skepticism that I approached the one act, intermission-less, one-woman show, The Syringa Tree.

So, picture this grumpy reviewer, Continue reading →