Blind boy seeking an independent life meets scared-of-commitment hippie girl. The result makes for a sweet little play, a coming-of-age story with a twist. Don Baker (cute Jeff Sargent, convincingly sightless), in his 20s, has left his Scarsdale home and overly protective mother after an almost affair with his music teacher. In center city, next door to Don in what's described as an equally dreary but less neatly-appointed apartment resides eager-beaver Jill, 19. Married for six days three years previously, she's had numerous affairs since. The odds against her "committing" to love are as great as her chances of getting work as an actress. His of becoming a singer with guitar may be better. He's got two months to make good -- on all fronts, it turns out. With only the first month ending, as Don and Jill are about to have a second fling, Mrs. Baker turns up. Will the latter keep preventing the former? Working out the answer, though essential, is of milder interest than the dialogue. It's always snappy and sometimes downright funny, as when Don denigrates his mother's "literary" creation, kiddie lit about the trials and triumphs of blind hero "little Donny Dart." Don obviously inherited his quick tongue from Mrs. Baker, an exasperated sophisticate whose heart is found in the right place (by Jenny Aldrich). In tailored grey suit, she's as colorful, if in a different way, as Katy Carson's bouncy-in-beads Jill. Jim Abegglen introduces suspense in the form of his "always on" stage director, who wants Jill to move in with him. No scenic or lighting artist is credited, but Don's spartan pad is right on the early 1970s mark, and so is all else.
Opened:
October 17, 2001
Ended:
November 24, 2001
Country:
USA
State:
Florida
City:
Venice
Company/Producers:
Coastal Productions (Robert Ennis Turoff, producer)
Theater Type:
Regional; Dinner Theater
Theater:
Venice Golden Apple Dinner Theater
Theater Address:
U.S. 41 Bypass at Holiday Inn Complex
Phone:
(941) 484-7711
Running Time:
2 hrs
Genre:
Comedy
Director:
Robert Ennis Turoff
Review:
Parental:
smoking
Cast:
Jeff Sargent, Katy Carson, Jenny Aldrich, Jim Abegglen (Ralph)
Technical:
Costumes: Rebecca Graves; Stage Mgr: Jon Merlyn
Miscellaneous:
The play was presented in the first season of the Golden Apple Dinner Theater in Sarasota, 1971-72, when the action of the current Venice production takes place. The play opened on Broadway in October of 1969, and the subsequent film was released in 1972.
Critic:
Marie J. Kilker
Date Reviewed:
October 2001
