The Qualms

The Qualms is playing at the Playwright Horizons located at 416 West 42 Street. It runs one hour thirty five minutes with one intermission. The play closes on July 12, 2015.

Bruce Norris is the playwright. He is also an actor. Bruce won a Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2011 for his play “Claybourne Park”. It also won an Olivier Award and a Tony Award the following year. It is one of two plays to win the Pulitzer, Olivier and Tony Award. The second is David Mamet’s drama ”Glengarry Glen Ross”.

Pam MacKinnon is the director. She won the Obie and got a Tony Award nomination for director for “Claybourne Park” (2012). Pam won a Tony Award for Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf (2013).

Todd Rosenthal is the scenic designer. He won a Tony Award for August: Osage County (2008) and was nominated for a Tony Award for The Mother F**ker With a Hat (2011).

Jeremy Shamos was nominated for a Tony Award in 2012 for “Claybourne Park”. He won an Obie in 2005 for “Engaged”.

The place is a condo near the beach, the time is the present.

Gary (john Procaccino) and Terri (Kate Arrington) are talking to Chris (Jeremy Shamos) and his wife Kristy (Sarah Goldberg).

The conversation is superficial and they have just become friends?

From the look at the table in the back it looks like they are expecting guests.

The first couple to arrive are Deb (Donna Lynne Champlin) and Ken (Andy Lucien). Deb explains that her husband die the year before of cancer. Ken took care of him at the hospital. They are now a couple. She is very heavy and sensitive about. Ken is African American and by his mannerism seems to be gay. He says he is not.

The last couple to arrive is Regine (Chinasa Ogbuagu) and Roger (Noah Emmerich). Regine is African American. She leaves to change into something sexy. Roger makes drinks.

The group are friends and are into having sex with each other. They have invited Chris and Kristy to join them. As the evening goes on Chris wants nothing to with it. He may have agreed to it because Kristy met with her old flame and did not tell him about the meeting. Kristy is unsure about joining in.

Harsh words are exchanged by Chris to the group.

In the end no one has sex. As they leave Gary asks if anyone wants some banana pudding. He has the spoons but no plates. Chris says he doesn’t mind and starts eating from the bowl. Everyone joins in with a happy faces.

I would like to have known more about the characters .It would have may a more interesting play. As it is, it's just okay

Jeremy Stamos and Kate Arrington were outstanding.

The set was fantastic. Looking out the large sliding door to the patio we see a fence and a house behind. A lot of detail went into this set.

Review by Rozanna Radakovich

Photos by Annazor.

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