Brendan Coyle (Downton Abbey) plays a theatre critic with a big ego. He develops a crush on a young actress which leads him to tell everyone at the cast party that he gave them a great review. However, he actually just submitted a mixed review to his newspaper. But the party doesn’t know this and it leads to a enthusiastic party. Later on, he meets a vampire in a park who invites him to his house. Things get interesting from there.
The Goodman has had a bunch of one person shows recently. The Santaland Diaries just wrapped up. Lady in Denmark ran into November. We’re Only Alive for a Short Amount of Time ran earlier in the fall, but this one is really more than a one man show with a full band on stage. The stage is very interactive in “We’re Only Alive…” with objects coming in and off the stage and often changing lighting. In contrast, it’s only Coyle on stage for the entire show. The stage isn’t very interactive with a bucket of water being the only object he interacts with. Also, the lighting stays the same for the first half, and then again no changes during the second half.
Brendan Coyle has a strong stage presence. But it’s even a challenge for him to keep the audience fully enthralled for the full two hours. This performance is probably best suited for fans of Downton Abbey or vampires. “The idea of doing a solo piece never, ever appealed to me,” said Coyle (in the program). “For me, it was all about the power of ensemble.”
Get tickets now for St Nicholas through January 27th.
Cost of a ticket: $80 (Main Floor)
PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Half Price
Rating Scale: Exceptional Value > Worth It > Half Price > Go for Free > Don’t Bother
Quinn Delaney
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