Later Life

"It's a cool, expertly mixed cocktail, spiked with an extra dose of bitters, and surely only Gurney could have pulled it off...Jonathan Silverstein's direction finds a nearly ideal balance...Without deft direction and sensitive performances, 'Later Life' could break into two very different parts, but, thanks to Silverstein and his cast, the scenes featuring Craig and Markell, in addition to providing a comic countermelody to the central characters' melancholic waltz, make an essential point." Full Review

"Mr. Gurney was no four-hit wonder, and the Keen Company’s off-Broadway revival is a welcome reminder that there are glittering gems lurking amid the paste...Unflashy conversation pieces like 'Later Life' don't play themselves. They must be knowingly cast and intelligently directed to make their full effect, and Keen Company, here as always, is up to the challenge...Silverstein has staged 'Later Life' with skill and sensitivity...The cast is satisfying, especially Mr. Lau." Full Review

"Charmingly romantic revival...It is a mix of funny and poignant tales that neatly sum up the state of educated Caucasian New Englanders of the 1990s...Under the gentle direction of Jonathan Silverstein, the play of course depends on the sparks and timing between Lau and Garrick. Both are up to the challenge with Lau letting Austin’s emotions ever so slowly simmer while Garrick reveals an inner beauty to Ruth’s wildness that any man would find hard to resist." Full Review

"Bittersweet and very funny, 'Later Life' is a theatrical pearl...The greatest assets of this revival are Markell and Liam Craig as a succession of wacky party guests. These two have the comic timing of old pros; and, with quicksilver changes of togs, wigs, and dialect, they blunder on and off the terrace, interrupting the earnest, sometimes eloquent conversation of the might-yet-be lovers...In Gurney’s world, hope, joy, and hilarity always complement the pain." Full Review

"A lovely looking revival. It once again showcases Gurney's skill at creating a play that reveals something deeper and sadder beneath its light-hearted and comic surface...Occasionally 'Later Life' injects a few too many lines that nudge the audience into awareness of the feelings behind the civilized masks. And though the play's is likely to appeal most to audiences at the same stage of life as Austin and Ruth, that's not to say that younger viewers will be left unmoved." Full Review

"If America has its own Chekhov, it would have to be A. R. Gurney. As Chekhov, in his short career as a playwright (he died of tuberculosis at 44), illuminated and elucidated the woes of landowning Russians, Gurney in his long career (the playwright died last June at 86), has chronicled the trials and tribulations of that native American species, the WASP." Full Review

"A gently witty/poignant look at the society and its values that Gurney has written about his whole life...Under the hand of director Jonathan Silverstein, Lau and Garrick both bring out the likeable qualities in their characters while stressing the 'if only' aspect of Gurney's play...The various supporting players are enthusiastically played by two actors, Liam Craig and Jodie Markell in a revolving door of colorful characterizations living different lives with delightful humor." Full Review

"A smooth sail through lovely calm waters; charming, engaging, and somewhat electric, keeping us all guessing and engrossed within Gurney’s smart back and forth...This well written piece, full of civil and witty dialogue, crowded with too many chatty, eccentric, and slightly over-done guests, with some bland food, just made me want to slowly make my way out the door of this party smiling politely saying ‘thank you, and good night’, having had a generally nice time." Full Review

"We are solidly in A.R. Gurney territory: waspy, and well-heeled...Secondary characters are inhabited with brio and wit by Jodie Markell and Liam Craig, even if some of them as written are a bit dog-eared and thematic: the computer geek, the newly transplanted couple from the South, the prematurely retired Brandeis professor who channels his philosophical disquiet into an effort to quit smoking, the retired couple who can’t agree on their retirement." Full Review

"It seems so dated that its frequent topical references are almost quaint…'Later Life'…depicts a potential romance between two…middle-aged people…Their tête-à-tête is continually interrupted by a string of eccentric party guests...played by the same two actors…Markell and Craig lack the chameleonic, comedic virtuosity to pull off the stunt…With Garrick's doll-like features, knowing warmth, and distinctive voice, if I had to choose one reason for this play's later life, it would be her." Full Review

"In his affable but uptight banker Austin, Gurney has created a sympathetic and entertaining embodiment of the breed. The play’s punch is lessened, however, by some stretches of glib dramaturgy, made all too evident in this appreciative but uneven revival...The suspense in this production is never terribly enthralling...On the other hand, Laurence Lau as Austin gives a finely etched rendering of a polite, chronically reserved fellow." Full Review

“The tale of a would-be, could-be romance between two unhappily married, middle-aged people--Austin (Laurence Lau) and Ruth (Barbara Garrick)--never really comes together, due to the constant interruptions from ‘Sally and Others’ and ‘Jim and Others’ at a party which reunites them, many years after they first met on the Isle of Capri, when Austin was stationed with the U.S. Navy.” Full Review

"Gurney deals beautifully with the ache and the sadness of a life not lived...Gurney supplies his resourceful players with material that is textured; and what emerges are the revelations that help to define Ruth and Austin so that the play ends just where it should...A fine play, a small gem that serves to remind us that A.R.Gurney will be remembered as long as there’s an audience for good theater." Full Review

"It keeps us guessing until the end and offers its quartet of actors ample opportunity to shine. Which these four certainly do...While we're aware that it's well-formed stage dialogue, dangerously close to repartee, we get quite actively involved in their dilemma and root for somebody to make a move...They're a touching twosome, and the Keen Company has presented them admirably in this 25th anniversary production of a work that shows even lesser Gurney is well worth a visit." Full Review

"The revival is most notable for its lucidity. It’s a gentle production that lets Gurney speak for himself, without flashy interpretive obstructions...I came away from this production with new respect for 'Later Life'...This production doesn’t ultimately provide the emotional payoff we were hoping for, but it reminds us of what a craftsman Gurney was, and how many rueful shades of warmth he could find in frozen lives." Full Review

"Capably directed...Agreeably acted...Lau gives Austin a sense of wistfulness...Garrick seems a tad coy...but she relaxes into a more genuine personal mode...'Later Life' is not an especially profound psychological study. But it succeeds as an effective portrait of a gentleman whose cautious restraint prevented him from joining the party...Congenial in tone, economic in form, and a thoughtful, if affectionately satirical, consideration of old-school values and manners." Full Review

"This New England soirée has some disappointments, as does this A.R. Gurney play, though it is not the fault of Jonathan Silverstein's delicate production for Keen Company...Silverstein takes his time, which is fitting for a Gurney play, though it sometimes it feels slow. This may not be the most exciting play, but it does feel true to life. Sometimes we make mistakes. And sometimes the best part of the party is the view." Full Review

"It’s a challenge to play Austin and Ruth in a way that is true to their natures but also makes the audience care about them, even root for them...Lau, projecting a world-weary charm, fares better than Garrick, who plays Ruth in such a skittish and flinty way...Markell and Craig are skilled character actors. Both (but Markell in particular) deliver some smart and lively turns during the course of the play." Full Review

"Attempts to connect with the two fully-rounded people on stage are constantly thwarted by the comings and goings of a bunch of stereotypes. Through no fault of Markell and Craig (who do nice work), their brief passages on stage don’t afford them the chance to develop fully-drawn characterizations...If in the long run, 'Later Life' proves problematic, it still provides a number of 'keen' qualities that make it worth a visit." Full Review

"Under Jonathan Silverstein's direction, 'Later Life' looks terrific but ultimately has the emotional excitement of a game of solitaire....These two characters could have been enough for a solid two-hander if Gurney had spent more time unpacking their lives, fears, and hidden desires, but instead he chose to include several other characters who act as cartoonish foils to Austin...That's not to say that director Silverstein hasn't inflated the tires of this 80-minute one-act as much as he could." Full Review