Brief notes on the triple bill, Relatively Speaking:
Talking Cure, by Ethan Coen: light fare about an aggressive postal worker and his doctor, then, in part 2, his parents at the time of his birth. It’s all over the top — some funny stuff, but not a believable moment in the acting. John Turturro directed.
Elaine May’s George is Dead: A virtuoso comic performance by Marlo Thomas as a dingy rich widow, with Lisa Emery as a great foil. I thought, “Ahh, May really knows how to write comedy.” The play then segues into a marital drama, and into a real play. It has total believability in all performances by the six actors. Turturro also directed this play.
As the second half of the evening, in Honeymoon Hotel, Woody Allen throws a truly absurd comedy about a wedding day at us, with a straight face. It is hilarious -- full of incongruities that bring down the house. Directed with sparkling comedic timing by Turturro.
Scenic design by Santo Loquasto, costumes by Donna Zakowska and lighting by Kenneth Posner are all superior.
