Harry Townsend's Last Stand

See it if you would like to spend a weekend with a father and son dealing with independent living/health/safety in a delightful production in 4 scenes

Don't see it if you have difficulty watching parent-child differences brought to light, past and present, that now call for intervention.

See it if Charming, if pat, story of a father trying to convince his skeptical son that he can live alone. Convincingly old-fashioned set.

Don't see it if The great Len Cariou is engaging. Craig Bierko is a solid foil. Two real pros making the best of a predictable script.

See it if looking for a well done play about the issue of old age and person coming to grips with needing to move on in life.

Don't see it if looking for a musical or something more up beat.

Also The actors do a good job, adding humor to a tough subject. I enjoyed the show, but could have been a little shorter in length.... Read more Read less

See it if You want to see excellent & moving theatre about aging father & concerned son.

Don't see it if Aging and life action decisions are to close & make you feel uncomfortable.

See it if You want a boring predictable two hander...,this is sitcom territory...

Don't see it if You don't like boring sitcom situations...

See it if You’re interested in a touching and funny exploration of the physical and mental deterioration that comes with getting older.

Don't see it if Including the subject matter, the playwright gives us nothing we haven’t seen before. Could have been trimmed to 1.5 hours.

Also Harry Townsend’s Last Stand effectively captures the pathos of aging and losing one’s ability to live independently. Anyone who has had parents or grandparents in this situation can relate. The play would be far less powerful cast with a younger lead, even if, as others on Show Score have noted, Len Cariou occasionally struggles to recall his lines. To be fair, at my performance, there was only one moment when this became very apparent, and resulted in an awkward stop. He did have some minor flubs and self-corrections otherwise. But all in all, he gave a rousing performance, and he’s largely what makes this show worthwhile. Craig Bierko is proficient as Harry’s son, Alan. His exaggerated facial expressions can read as sitcommy, yet also help to inject life into the by the numbers script. While the humor is fairly sharp, and keeps the show watchable, the characters are cliched and the story is predictable. Although somewhat bland, it’s enjoyable and moving just the same.... Read more Read less

See it if You want a slice of real life as your parents get older. Len Cairou made me tear up.

Don't see it if You are expecting a white washed look at aging.

See it if Len caribou and Craig Bierko do great justice to a well written script by George Eastman A rewarding evening in the theater

Don't see it if You need a lot of splash and dash and don't like 2 person shows

See it if You look at your aging parents or life partners or at your adult children and wonder where the time has gone and how can we get closer.

Don't see it if You don’t enjoy sentiment or humor or family members working to get closer together to enjoy life.

See it if YOu are aware of the issues with the elderly. Some provocative thoughts amid light hearted comedy. YOu want to see some great acting

Don't see it if YOu have no interest in these issues or don't like quiet plays

See it if You're a baby boomer, a gen-X-er or a millennial human. This story will either mirror your present circumstance or a probable future one.

Don't see it if You don't like dialogue-heavy plays filled with banter about a father-son family relationship. You don't like plays about aging with dignity

Also There is something to like in this play for everyone. It's about being there for family, relationships, aging. The flow of dialogue is steady, like a river flow in late spring, it just keeps coming at a steady clip, filling the space with memories, lives lived, resentments. We, the audience go on this journey very willingly, for we see parallels to our own journey in terms of relationships with present and future aging parents.

Mr. Cariou and Mr. Bierko as the father and son protagonists in this play do a phenomenal job at drawing us into their present difficult circumstance. Mr. Cariou's character banter is heavy with quick one-liners to hide his fading memory, while Mr. Bierko plays the dutiful loving son that's come home to do something very difficult: help the aging father out of the home he's lived in for many decades and into an assisted living development.

Mr. George Eastman has given us a love note to aging: change will and must happen, but memories will live on and do.... Read more Read less

See it if Not a real good show. A tv sitcom type show with laughs that fall flat.

Don't see it if If you want a truly funny, touching play that goes deep into father and son relationship.

See it if Theatre icon Cariou & a competent Bierko try their able best but can't spin gold out of non-comedic straw Lazy direction doesn't help

Don't see it if Script has quality of a 'lifetime for women (men?)'special Tidal wave of one-liners/puns in Act 1 gives way to heavy sentimentality in Act 2

See it if you're a fan of Len Cariou or Bierko, enjoy light comedies that deal with a serious contemporary issue, like non-challenging, safe works

Don't see it if you expect deep exploration of father/son issues or for deep secrets revealed, want dramatic confrontations and not too-easy solutions

Also You do sorta believe that Cariou and Bierko are father and son who have not seen each other for a while, but still have a relationship based on their younger years together, a bit hard to believe that Harry, the father, was unaware that his son called his mother each week and spoke to his sister each day, even from far away California, and therefore knew exactly what was going on. The set was quite detailed and realistic, which did add to the enjoyment of the play... Read more Read less

See it if You're a super fan of the 2 actors. You find fart jokes and breast jokes hilarious. Slightly touching in 2nd act when looking at mementos.

Don't see it if Dad stopped mid sentence then blurted out last word numerous times. He needed lady in front row to give him his line. Very slow & drawn out

Also Very under rehearsed. Dad needs way more practice on his lines. They mostly fell flat and were said in a disjointed manner stopping mid sentence. 2 hours needs huge cuts to running time.... Read more Read less

See it if You really want to see these actors on stage. You are looking for a simple story with a little bit of comedy and a lot of heart.

Don't see it if There was nothing new or interesting about this production. It was fine, but not super noteworthy.

See it if Want to see a realistic story about a son trying to convince his father that it’s time to go into an assisted living facility

Don't see it if You are bothered when one of the actors clearly has trouble remembering their lines

Also I was really worried going into this play because I had heard Cariou was having trouble remembering his lines. He really struggled in the first 10 minutes of the play and it was excruciating to watch. But he did pull it together and was a very strong throughout the rest of the show. If you’re going to see this go into it knowing that’s the case. I felt really bad for the other actor. I was in a play once with a woman who could not remember her lines so I memorized all of her lines as well as mine and it had to take away from my performance. He did a great job carrying Cariou around and making sure he didn’t “Fall”. there’s nothing exceptional about this story or the writing, it is a very realistic story that I think a lot of people will be able to relate to. I don’t understand why the actors didn’t come up with some kind of a signal for when Cariou can’t remember his lines. The audience doesn’t know you forgot your lines unless you tell them.... Read more Read less

See it if If you are a fan of the actors. If you like stories about father-son relationships. If aging & its consequences interest you.

Don't see it if If aging parents is a sensitive subject for you. If you are not interested in adult familial relationships.

See it if You want to see a comedic play about a father and son relationship as the father reaches milestones in his life and how they deal with it.

Don't see it if You don't like comedy. You don't like shows about people getting older and the challenges they may face and how they are managed.

See it if you want what may be your last chance to see Len Cariou live. A well written but unrealistic play with too much hope.

Don't see it if seeing an actor who still has great stage presence but it no longer capable of memorizing his lines is a problem for you. Unrealistic show.

Also Going in you would think that a 90 year old actor playing a character unable to memorize his lines should work in a play about an elderly man suffering from early stage Alzheimer's should work. It doesn't. At one point Cariou needs a line fed to him by the Stage Manager, at another Craig Bierko feeds him his line and many points Cariou hesitates while recalling his lines and often improvises when he can't recall.

The writing and direction here is very good, but the story is unrealistic. A person in "Harry's" situation and with his mindset would never agree so easily to an Assisted Living Facility.

The timeline is way off. Since "Harry" and his wife only moved Vermont when he was 50, it is very unlikely that Bierko's character would have many childhood memories from the home. Possible, but unlikely..

Still an enjoyable evening with a little suspension of your intellect.... Read more Read less

See it if You're old, or have a parent (or grandparent) who is old, or maybe someday you will be.

Don't see it if You don't like shows about people fighting.

See it if You are a fan of the 2 wonderful actors,Cariou and Bierko. The play is a 2 hander about elderly dad and son. It plays like a tv sitcom.

Don't see it if There isn't anything that hasn't been done or seen before.

See it if you like an average sitcom or just want to see Len Cariou

Don't see it if you're expecting a serious piece about coming to terms with dealing with aging.

See it if You like bittersweet aging father/son dramas with clever banter that often misses its mark by clumsy acting and lost lines

Don't see it if You want a polished production. The father seems sincerely challenged by the scope of the script and gets lost sadly often

See it if you want to see a well-acted, relatable story about a middle aged man dealing with his aging father.

Don't see it if you want a play that explores new ground. This is a pretty by-the-books story that isn't particularly engaging or memorable.