The Roundabout

“This sparkling, impeccably staged play will be catnip to ‘Downton Abbey’ devotees, with equal doses of humor and insight...Some period conventions creak…The director, Hugh Ross, adds a soupçon of farce to the percolating proceedings, keeping his busy cast on point. Throughout, Priestley gently reminds us of the ephemerality of affluence in a teetering economy. His words, with their generous, sympathetic regard for human nature, cast a binding glow over the production.” Full Review

“A truly charming play, one that will appeal to a broad audience…Directed by Hugh Ross, the staging is superb and the show's cast shines bright in their roles…The comings and goings of these colorful characters, the clash of social classes, and the fast-paced, clever dialogue create a totally entertaining and engaging theatrical experience. You'll love the cast of 'The Roundabout.' They are funny, lively and authentic.” Full Review

“Unearthing old theatre gems is like digging for truffles–and British director Hugh Ross has found one…It sparkles with the wit of Wilde, the frivolity of Coward, and the saltiness of Shaw…‘The Roundabout’ holds the promise of an entertaining comedy of manners–but delivers far more…In the midst of all this frivolity, playwright Priestley offers a sharp, satirical bird's-eye view of an anxious era when England’s social order is changing and facing growing threats from abroad.” Full Review

“A delightful romp into the past…Under Hugh Ross’ direction, the play moves at a clip and is crisp and refreshing. Mr. Sachs is delightful as ‘Chuffy,’ bringing comedic chops…Ms Laing has that ‘it’ factor that makes her completely watchable…Plays written in other eras are turning out to be morality plays that show us how little we have learned. With 'The Roundabout,' at least it is served up in a palatable, witty way.” Full Review

"A grand production, directed exactly as it should be and with precisely the right cast...Dated, yes, but possessing the kind of charm those plays continue to hold...'The Roundabout' also has a very special humor about it...The true value is that it’s Priestley getting laughs at the expense of the upstart English who’ve jumped on the Communist bandwagon...A threat he might have taken more seriously. But if he had, 'The Roundabout' wouldn’t be half the fun it is." Full Review

"A charming and well-performed work with an undercurrent of social criticism...A well-oiled ensemble, which, under Hugh Ross's direction, does a fine job of keeping the lighter-than-air domestic comedy floating stylishly and smoothly for its close to two-and-half-hour running time...While 'The Roundabout' may not exactly be a newly rediscovered treasure unearthed from the good old days, it provides enough delights to make it well worth the visit." Full Review

"Under Hugh Ross’s well-paced direction, the cast is uniformly engaging...It is the unpredictability of these parallel story lines that makes 'The Roundabout' consummately entertaining...Priestley chooses not to explore the issues he introduces with any depth...Still, Mr. Priestley’s 1931 'very light comedy' is a delightful romp around the roundabout well worth the trip." Full Review

“A classy staging...The sprightly cast is built around the life of Lord Kettlewell, played with charm and occasional bewilderment by the excellent Brian Protheroe…The excellent cast members include Richenda Carey, Charlie Field and Ed Pinker. Polly Sullivan has designed an effective Kettlewell country home in the small stage space, and Hugh Ross directs what is a very stylish production, the kind we have come to expect from visiting Brits.” Full Review

"Emily Laing–both as character and actress–is half the show and worth every minute...The direction is tone-perfect and the cast without exception excellent...The play ends a little too quickly: we’re left with a sense that some explanations are needed about why things resolve as they do. But that’s only after a thoroughly delightful time spent at Lord Kettlewell’s country home." Full Review

“While the play pretends to be making a statement about British class structure and the economic and social changes that were occurring in the 1930's, it is both very lightweight and very much a period piece of an earlier age. The repartee is good but, alas, the play is not particularly witty nor does it offer memorable one liners. From the usually brilliant J.B. Priestley we have come to expect a good deal more originality.” Full Review

“'The Roundabout'…offers enough nutrition for a band of first-rate thespians to feast on to make its resurrection edible. However, it's still second-rate Priestley, far too long and chatty, at two hours and 15 minutes, for its wafer-thin, drawing room/romantic comedy plot, leavened by political satire…There's some enjoyment to be derived from Priestley's then timely and sometimes still pertinent observations on social and economic matters, but the…laughs are mostly of the polite, muffled kind.” Full Review

“'The Roundabout' is a very mild evening of drawing-room skirmishes, the sort of thing that Coward, Maugham, and Frederick Lonsdale handled far more deftly…A few bright remarks aside, this is a strictly by-the-numbers affair: Couples are arranged and rearranged…Hugh Ross' production could use some additional layers of high-comedy style, but it gets the job done…‘The Roundabout’ will probably keep audiences amused, but it is a lesser example of its genre." Full Review

"Ambitious and well-acted...The actors deliver cut-glass diction and high style; it’s the play itself that frequently betrays their efforts...Unfortunately, Pamela is the center of the action, yet her character is often irritating, and Laing doesn’t make her as palatable as she needs to be...'The Roundabout' is no lost diamond, but it’s more than a lump of anthracite. For fans of Priestley or drawing-room comedy, there are charms. Too often, though, one wishes it were that missing diamond." Full Review

"Incessant flippant chatter is crisply deployed along with archaic social commentary...Going along with the presumption that pretentiously affected acting comes with the territory and with this import, credit is due to the cast and to Ross who has affably and effectively abetted...Notwithstanding the play's relative insignificance, it actually makes a slight and snippy jab at a world of disengaged gentry...A play that is, if nothing less or more, appropriately named." Full Review

“A comedic, but inconsequential, look at upper-class decadence…'The Roundabout' is played for laughs, rather than ideas… All told, 'The Roundabout' is well-acted and well-staged. I wish that were enough, but it's not. Despite the still-timely reference to sexual misconduct, the play is dated; despite some terrific one-liners, its assets are insufficient to recommend what is ultimately a stale production.” Full Review

"It can safely be said that breezy debates about the virtues of communism versus capitalism, in a high-twit-factor, three-act, moldy British drawing-room comedy is hardly the place to do the topic justice...'The Roundabout' has quite a talented cast. The problem is that it’s just not terribly funny or impactful. It’s quite a bland offering...if you’re a huge fan of, say, 'The Importance of Being Ernest' and pine for spatterdashes and top hats, you’ll enjoy 'The Roundabout' immensely." Full Review

"As it stands, we’re subjected to a tedious two hours in the hands of milquetoast Kettlewell, almost-ran Chuffy, bratty, tantrum-throwing, mischief-making Pamela, and boorish cliché Comrade Staggles...Aside from flickers, those onstage range from poor to irritating to ho-hum. Hugh Ross’s direction is so heavy-handed, movement has no motivation except audience view, irony goes by practically unnoticed." Full Review