Pics from the programme

A short review

I didn't really know what to expect from the play from the reviews and summaries I'd read, to be honest. But it turned out to be a true good surprise.

First of all, the play was very funny - which was not exactly given, considering some heavy themes addressed and the dysfunctional, lost characters.

But there's a saying that goes "Humor is the politeness of despair", and that's certainly true in that play. Some of the loudest laughs were caused by quotes that, in a different light, would be sorrowing. Which leaves the door open to different interpretations to the play itself.

It was bittersweet and moving in many places too - especially close to the end -, and made you feel close of the characters, even if your youth has not been like theirs at all (mine certainly wasn't, for better or for worse).

The actors seem to enjoy being on stage as much as the audience enjoyed seeing them perform, too, and that made the play even more pleasant, as the exchange ran all warm and fun.

About the characters, I found myself eventually growing to care about Warren (Casey Affleck's), even though he seems to be totally selfish, careless and unbearable in the beginning.

On the other side, Dennis (Matt Damon), who initially appears as the confident playboy, "knows his way around the block" guy, eventually reveals himself as shallower than Warren, and even more lost, which didn't seem quite possible in the start.

Jessica (Summer Phoenix) is still a little bit of a mystery to me. She's like a nervy, intellectual fashion victim. Unusual combination. I wonder if that's New York specific.

I didn't know the playwright before I saw the play, but I'll be paying a closer look to his work from now on. There's a very humane quality to it that makes characters real.