Cahoots Theatre Company presents a rare revival of this comedy about England in the '30s, when it looked as if the social order might be changing. Part of 59E59's annual Brits Off Broadway festival.
Read more Show lessSee it if you like British parlor comedies from the pre depression era that are acted perfectly.Lovely costumes and set. Written by JB Priestly
Don't see it if hate tv shows like Downton Abby. Can't understand British accents. Want to see shows that are gritty. Prefer grunts to complete sentences.
See it if you enjoy witty dialogue with British accent. Very developed characters, especially the daughter. Shaw would have done even more with plot.
Don't see it if don't like farce or British accents.
See it if You enjoy romantic comedies and comedy of manners from the 1930s and 1940s.
Don't see it if That seems twee to you. Read more
See it if you like terrific acting, great writing, and an interesting set. This drawing room comedy explores issues of class in a delightful way.
Don't see it if you are looking for something serious and pedantic. The acting is really top notch. Show is a lot of fun without being silly.
See it if like your comedies British. It's an old school show, with serious discussions of class disparity, delivered with humor and fun.
Don't see it if don't like political comedies
See it if fun; '30s play combines sting of GB Shaw/satirizes casual communists + breeziness of Noel Coward/upper class idiocy well played by Brit cast
Don't see it if a lot of overacting by stock characters to evoke laughs, predictable plotting, too restrained to be memorable farce
See it if you'd like an amusing view of English satire of class and politics
Don't see it if vintage plays hold no interest for you
See it if English drawing room comedy about British classes facing economic downturn in early 1930's; funny characters
Don't see it if Act 2 slows as one of the main characters becomes (as described by another character) 'tiresome'. 2 fun characters in Act 1 do not appear. Read more
"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."
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“'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.”
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"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."
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“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.”
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“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.”
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"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."
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"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."
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"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."
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