What a day for a daydream!

Well...3 plays down, one more (Lieutenant of Inishmore tonight) to go. Last night it was Contrived Ending by Josh Hartwell and wow - what a treat! I had no idea what to expect really and I was so pleasantly impressed in every direction. The script itself was witty, clever, smart, and thoughtful - if perhaps a little outdated. Actually though, I didn't so much mind that I'd seen the angst ridden 20 something coming of age stories before - I was thoroughly engaged, even when the laughs stopped. The casting was superb. Each actor brought an honesty and comfort with his/her roles that was refreshing and truly delightful to watch. And every character was so fully developed, you really felt something pulling at you hard, for each of them. Something familiar, sometimes uncomfortably so. This cast truly defined the term ensemble, they were as at home with one another and their space as one would expect the characters to be. Individually every one of them broke your heart. The direction by Jim Hunt was breathtakingly simple and truly lovely. It is rare that a director can make things look almost as though they weren't involved, so perfectly told is the story, so devoid of gimmick or style. It was acheived in this production. In fact, every aspect of this night and this theatre worked in tandem with the telling of this story. The technical elements were clear and made the world of the play very so very familiar to us...I was thrilled to enjoy a night of theatre so much -