A Walk in the Woods NYC Reviews and Tickets

"Every conversation hovers at the surface, never diving into the specifics of what these two men are actually trying to achieve...None of the artists involved in the production seem to be making any bold choices with the text...The ebb and flow of their relationship feels largely stagnant...Granted, Blessing spends two hours illustrating just how our political system spins its wheels while moving nowhere. But that's no excuse for the play depicting that system to be equally inert."
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"Time has not sharpened its impact. But one can appreciate the play's wit as well as its clear-eyed assessment of a process that, ultimately, becomes an end in itself...If 'A Walk in the Woods' can't reach a satisfactory conclusion, if it ultimately ends up chasing its own tail, Donna Jean Fogel's production benefits from Van Treuren's sly characterization and the contributions of the design team."
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"Unfortunately, civility does not always make for the most gripping drama, and rather shamefully, I thought perhaps some occasional puerile name-calling and pompous boasts might make for a more riveting evening...Under Donna Jean Fogel's unfussy direction, Van Treuren and Manning bring, for the most part, admirable restraint to their roles...The play certainly speaks to audiences today...Perhaps it is advisable to take in a mild and reflective play every now and then."
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"The two talented, delightfully understated actors have taken on these roles with energy and sincerity. Manning makes Honeyman both simple and complex at the same time while Van Treuren mines Botvinnik's uncanny ability to charm and frighten at the same time. You root for them from beginning to end and hope against hope for them to actually produce a treaty."
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"Van Treuren and Manning offer excellent performances, each…providing emotional depth, intellectual nuance, and humorous timing to the conversations. The…silver-haired Van Treuren…masterfully creates the image of a congenial, well-educated, wryly humorous, Continental sophisticate…Manning, although sometimes guilty of mumbling…makes a perfect foil for Andrey's witty ribbing…Still, so much…focuses on the personalities of the…negotiators, it doesn't require two hours for its points to be made."
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"Kudos to Van Treuren, who makes Botvinnik his own...For this play to truly work, you need two actors at the top of their game. Van Treuren is wonderfully cast. I really loved his balance between diplomat and humorist. He is like watching a masterclass in acting. Manning just seems miscast. I never believed he was a diplomat...There is a cadence and a cat-and-mouse feel to their speech and though Honeyman starts off as someone new to this game, he is supposed to be a prized negotiator."
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"Blessing’s deft 1988 two-hander is, unfortunately, no less topical today...The play is beautifully written, humorous and perceptive. Manning's Honeyman is believably ardent and volatile..Somehow, however, the actor only intermittently inhabits the role...As the Russian, Van Treuren is a complete delight...Gestures are in character, manner elegant, timing impeccable...Fogel handles her scenario with utter finesse. Movement always comes from somewhere...Pacing is excellent."
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"As a study in opposites, Blessing’s play still works...Manning plays a dour character and hasn't quite found a way to make him as interesting as Botvinnik is initially, although eventually his Honeyman achieves parity...One suspects that the production was planned because of a resurgence of concerns about nuclear war in the current political climate. But it now feels just as much like a celebration of the foreign-service professionals who devote their lives to negotiating."
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"In 1988 Lee Blessing’s play premiered on Broadway...Thirty years later, his message continues to resonate...An uncompelling, but perfectly adequate production...Van Treuren and Manning appear to be competent actors but here, they are miscast...For an intimate play like this to fully ignite, magnetism, razor-sharp acuity, and exceptional dynamism are required from its cast...Still, the two manage to deliver Blessing's vital message."
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"Three decades old yet still fresh as a daisy...Van Treuren's character enjoyed the best bon mots of a clever script...His depiction of the wily and cynical man from Leningrad made an effective foil for Manning's more earnest Midwestern sensibilities...A play that is about the nuances of diplomacy...Sticklers for accuracy may quibble with some finer points of the script...Taps into our ongoing nostalgia for an era that was oddly safer than our own."
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