Well. The Allergist's Wife was a waste of a good Thursday evening.

I can't say it didn't have anything good. The set was gorgeous. The blocking was good, and in some cases even great. My dad always loves feisty old women, so it got a point for him. And there were enough funny bits to keep me from going to sleep.

But everything else...

The direction was pretty wobbly - at least, I assume it's the director's fault that the actors were exaggerating too much to be playing it straight, and not nearly enough for slapstick.

The acting was mediocre. A lot of lines got rushed or mumbled. The only one with really good diction was the feisty old lady. Other actors had accents that waffled and morphed. There were two onstage kisses, and neither of them was remotely believeable. There was a big blow-up between the wife and her friend that I didn't get at first, because they were still reciting, rather than acting.

And worst of all was the writing. I understand the circumstances weren't really supposed to be believable - but it wasn't even believeable enough for suspension of disbelief. I understand the wife's friend was supposed to be a caricature - but she either went too far or didn't go far enough. I couldn't tell if the husband was really supposed to be a huge philanthropist or if he was supposed to be an enormous phony. I couldn't tell if they really loved each other or if they were just too comfortable and settled into their roles to change anything.

There were running jokes that got dropped too early. There were mysteries introduced that were never solved. There was heavy symbolism that didn't actually mean anything. There were hundreds of cultural and historical references that had no anchoring context. It tried to be edgy and didn't go far enough - and yet it went too far to remain comfortable and mainstream.

Whoever wrote it (I could look it up on the 'net, but it would be a further waste of time) should have their fingers smacked with a wooden ruler and their pencil taken away.

On the other hand, it did have a Powerbook for a prop.

--Liz