Edward Albee’s At Home at the Zoo NYC Reviews and Tickets

"Neugebauer's terrific production proves 'Homelife' to be an indispensably excellent work in its own right, and a suitable tribute to the playwright...The Signature staging has only a ghost to appease; it is much freer and funnier and thus more powerful...The same is true of the actors: They do not approach the play as an awesome classic but as a living organism. Mr. Leonard is very good...Finneran is spectacular."
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"A single drama Frankenstein-ed together out of two one-acts...Signature Theater follows Albee’s wish that the two be played as a single piece...It makes for an evening that's fully half bad. Yet there's good news: Thanks to the diamond like brilliance of Paul Sparks in 'Zoo', the show is unmissable...'Zoo Story' is a duet, beautifully orchestrated by director Lila Neugebauer. Leonard finds a world of grace notes to play, but the melody line belongs to Sparks, who prowls like a Muppet tiger."
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"Sparks owns the show...Leonard and Finneran both acquit themselves well in the play's less fireworks-y roles. And Lieberman's clean, spare set-its white walls and floor covered in Cy Twombly-esque monotone scribbles-does a neat job of filling a sizeable stage with a play that's often staged in black boxes...There's nothing bad happening up on the stage, but there's nothing particularly spectacular either...Like Ann and Peter's marriage, it is exactly that: very safe."
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"A superbly acted revival...A first-rate cast...The prequel provides further riffs on 'Zoo Story's' societal and personal themes, but in far less visceral fashion...Albee's decision to update 'Zoo Story' feels unfortunate; jarring anachronisms have the ironic effect of making the play feel more dated than it actually is...Nonetheless, it's a fascinating double bill...This staging benefits greatly from the terrific performances...Sparks is an acting tour-de-force that provides reason enough for this revival."
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"Masterly in its visual clarity and psychological acuity—though it cannot cover up the fact that Albee made a bad mistake when he wrote 'Homelife' and an even worse one when he yoked it to 'The Zoo Story'...Finneran’s performance is instantaneously involving, while Mr. Leonard brings off the wire-walking feat of being dull in an interesting way...Mr. Sparks’s performance is deliberately spectacular, and Ms. Neugebauer has framed it with the loving care of a curator."
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"'Homelife' still sounds like characters spouting an author’s ideas about cruelty and isolation — and not real talk. 'The Zoo Story' still manages to unsettle....Three winning performances show off each work to its best advantage...Finneran brings so much smarts, humor, vulnerability and a subtle jagged edge to Ann that you can't take eyes or ears off of her...Neugebauer's direction cannily underscores the unnerving closeness - and more often distance - between people."
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"Leonard's soft, measured line deliveries betray Peter's effortless privilege...Finneran introduces a nagging dissatisfaction to this picture of bourgeois bliss...She interprets Albee's language with aching sincerity...Sparks makes a thrillingly unpredictable Jerry, accenting his performance with birdlike eyes and pointed modulations in his voice...Even if your mind drifts away during this short story masquerading as drama, you'll be jolted back to attention by the explosive final moments."
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"Though both plays are intimate by nature, director Neugebauer takes full advantage of the large stage...Leonard's beautifully subtle Peter is all the more fascinating for the emotions he hides than the emotions he expresses...The plays do tend to come off more like acting exercises than the social commentary they hint at. Still, the opportunity to see the first major work by one of America's most iconic playwrights paired with one of his last, makes for an intriguing experience."
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