“Quaint and baggy, ‘The Traveling Lady’ is no great drama…Nor is the affectionate revival a great production. But if some of the play’s best qualities are muddied by performances that seem shaky and flat, ‘The Traveling Lady’ still emerges as a lovely specimen of the form…The production only intermittently achieves the paradoxical merger of vast emotion and delicate expression that Foote requires…You need a production that gets past the competencies of the scene-study class.”
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“In its beautifully performed revival, Foote’s ‘The Traveling Lady’ reveals itself as a particularly well-shaped little jewel…Pendleton has the most delicate directorial hands in the business...Luckily, Clara’s garden has room for some naughtier angels as well: the play’s tartest characters, teetotaler Mrs. Tillman and cackling maniac Mrs. Mavis (the masterful Lynn Cohen). The rest of ’em invite you onto the porch, but these two keep the tea from turning too sweet."
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"Foote himself would have delighted in the perfect stylistic unanimity of this lovely revival...Pendleton has staged 'The Traveling Lady' with a gentle understatement that draws you in before you know it, and his actors exude a feeling of community so strong as to create the impression that they’ve known one another for years...To single out Lichty, Bull and Cohen for special mention is to disserve the similarly persuasive performances of their colleagues, who are excellent without exception."
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“Under the sensitive and confident direction of Pendleton, the play slowly cooks like a stew, enticing us further with each scene. Pendleton doesn't try too hard to grab our attention or push the pace. He lets us come to the play, which we are eager to do, especially when the text is delivered by this expert cast…Few directors can make a nearly 63-year-old play feel fresh and exciting quite the same way Pendleton can. It's the kind of theatrical magic you really have to experience firsthand."
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“A warm and sensitive production…As is typical with Foote, the gentle philosophical tone of the play rises above the story. In this case, the desire for stability in life takes precedence, as the strong ensemble embraces the flavorful dialogue full of gossip and humor.”
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"A genial, if undistinguished, production...Georgette is overshadowed by a typically colorful cast of Foote supporting characters, their magpie ways effortlessly stealing the limelight...There is much to enjoy here, most notably the way that the playwright conjures an entire universe of offstage characters with complicated histories, but this is one of his weaker pieces...Completists won't want to miss 'The Traveling Lady;' others can wait for a better production someday soon."
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“‘The Traveling Lady’ is somewhat heavy-handed in its construction and occasionally overburdens the scenes with weighty symbolism. Therefore, it may not rate in the top tier of the Foote canon, but it reflects the playwright in excellent form…Director Austin Pendleton has drawn some terrific performances from his ensemble…Ziemba offers a richly layered portrayal of a woman whose mother is mentally deteriorating before her.”
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“It needs a director and actors able to dig into the rhythm of Foote's words, and the personalities of his characters. Fortunately, director Pendleton and the cast are more than up to that challenge…Pendeleton overdoes the use of the aisle for the actors to enter and exit the stage a bit. However, his direction otherwise and the production values overall enhance and support this visit down Mr. Foote's very special and well worth visiting memory lane.”
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