"It's no spoiler to reveal that Arden gets it in the end. Even though it doesn't seem likely that much else of this true crime thriller is actually true, the play is ultimately less about the ending than the tomfoolery that gets us there. Whether Shakespeare wrote it or not, Faversham deserves a visit."
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"It all builds to a corpse-laden climax, courtesy of a poisoned, lethal-to-the-touch crucifix; that, at least, is something you don't see every day."
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“ ‘Arden of Faversham’ is rarely done in the United States, and its mysterious authorial origins tend to eclipse its stageworthiness. Even a schizophrenic production like the current one, though, shows that this domestic tragedy potentially offers a bloody good time.”
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“The Red Bull presentation is a welcome opportunity to see ‘Arden of Faversham.’ Indeed, it may be the only opportunity to see it in this lifetime. If that isn’t a strong enough incentive, I’d like to know what is.”
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The problem with this production is that although the characters’ behavior is utterly outrageous on the verge of satire, Berger has directed in so flat and bland a style that shocking lines that should get embarrassed laughter fail to make any impression. Has Berger directed the play absolutely straight knowing that his audience is unlikely to be familiar with it? It would be more fun and rewarding if was as over-the-top as the murderers’ plotting.
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“This ’Arden of Faversham ’ remains the scandalous, sensationalist comedy-drama it was intended to be.”
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“The production tried to be too many things to too many different people and thus came off not as good as it could have been, almost as if was done by committee...There is historic relevance to the play, and for that reason alone I urge you to see it as it doesn’t often find itself a stage.”
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“The verse-speaking is fine, particularly Roach in a key soliloquy and the comedy is plentiful. But the constant seesawing of alliances eventually becomes wearying, and the final moments are the weakest...Still, ‘Arden’ is staged so rarely that even a production with flaws is worth a visit.”
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