Michael Shooner as Leondard, Ian Kramer as Martin, Angel Zachel as Izzy, Merritt Beischel as Kate & Alec Bowling as Douglas.
SEMINAR presented by Falcon Theater through Feb. 15
Special guest artist Michael Shooner and a solid ensemble, under the direction of Alecia Lewkowich, create an entertaining evening with Theresa Rebeck’s SEMINAR. The script is smart and I found myself enjoying the first act more as new information came to light during the second act. The pacing and blocking of the show worked well, especially when moving all five actors around a smaller stage. Staging choices were spot on as the relationships among the characters changed over time. Every ensemble member made smart character decisions and had a moment to shine over the course of the show. The confrontation scene, between Martin (Ian Kramer) and Leonard (Michael Shooner), was a highlight for me.
Opening night, I did feel there were more comedic moments to be mined from the script. There were times during Doug’s bouts of verbal diarrhea when his dialogue did not sound like spontaneous utterances, but lines repeated from memory. I also found the one blackout mid-scene to be confusing, as all the other blackouts indicated a time jump.
Overall an entertaining evening of theater.
My rating: 4 out of 5
Behind the Curtain Cincinnati 