Traffic:   7 Incidents
Weather: 45°F
  01:48am ET, 11/22/09
Search:    kyw1060.com  Web  Audio
Theatre Review
Text Size:   A   A   A

Posted: Friday, 11 April 2008 3:41AM

''Frozen,'' at The Adrienne, Has Difficulty with Difficult Subject



 

by KYW's Bob Nelson

There are those heavy dramas, plays of "a dark subject matter," as this one is advertised, for which the word enjoyment seems misplaced.
 
Playwright Bryony Lavery has come up with a grim study of a mother's agonizing attempt to come to terms with her daughter's rape and murder at the hands of a serial killer. 

Under the title Frozen, you could call this: "Good study, passable theatre."
 
Philadelphia's Interact Theatre Company offers the area premiere of the play that was a hit in London and later on Broadway. 
  
It's a simple but impressively staged study of the psychological probing of a criminal's mind followed by a mother's decision to forgive the killer.

While we have a trio of competent actors, a set that's amazingly simple, and Whit MacLaughlin offers strong direction, there's something that's surprisingly mechanical about this attempt to inject humanity into the horrors of a shocking crime.

Frozen will play the Adrienne Theatre, 2030 Sansom Street, through May 4th.


 
 
Top Stories

Senate Holds Vote on Health Legislation


Police Search for Suspect in Attempted Abduction of Montco Teen


More KYW Headlines
Print Page Email This Page
Latest KYW Arts Podcasts
Holiday Pops
KYW's Karin Phillips reports the holidays are coming and so is one of the most popular concerts of the holiday season. Holiday Pops and Peter Nero and the Philly Pops starts December 5th at the Kimmel Center.
Rock School Presents Nutcracker 1776
KYW's Lynne Adkins reports the Rock School For Dance Education will present Nutcracker 1776 December 5th and 6th at the Merriam Theater. School co-director Stephanie Spassoff says this production is aimed at the younger ballet lovers.
White Christmas at the Academy of Music
KYW's Stasia DeMarco reports the Kimmel Center and the Schubert Organization will present the new stage adaptation of Irving Berlin’s White Christmas at the Academy of Music November 24th through December 6th.
Ukrainian Dance Company at the Kimmel
KYW's Stasia DeMarco the Virsky Ukrainian National Dance Company will make its debut at the Kimmel Center on November 22nd.'Tom Warner,VP of Programming at the Kimmel Center, describes this performance.
Arshile Gorky Exhibit
'Arshile Gorky: A Retrospective' celebrates the work and the life of Arshile Gorky. KYW's community affairs reporter Karin Phillips toured the exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art with modern art curator Michael Taylor.
Julliard Quartet At The Kimmel
KYW's Lynne Adkins reports the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society will host the Julliard Quartet October 27th at the Kimmel Center's Perelman Theater. Philip Maneval the society's executive Director explains what you'll hear.
 
 
ADVERTISEMENT