'The Last Schwartz'
By Don Shirley
Fractious siblings re-unite, in connection with a family ceremony – it’s one of the most familiar premises in American drama (see As Much As You Can in the Continuing listings). But Deborah Zoe Laufer’s comedy manages to overcome feelings of déjà vu with sharp dialogue and carefully timed revelations. Lee Sankowich’s staging, returning after the holidays with one cast change, is immensely helpful. Valerie Perri plays the domineering sister who’s determined to honor the anniversary of the father’s death. Alan Safier portrays the most exasperated of the brothers, whose wife (Pamela Gaye Walker, pictured left) is a virtual basket case because of her inability to breed and blend in with the family. The other brothers are a video director (Roy Abramsohn, pictured right) who’s dating the requisite young shiksa (Steffany Huckaby) and an autistic astronomer (Jeff Witzke) whose near-blindness doesn’t prevent him from offering a Chekhovian big-picture perspective.
Zephyr Theatre, 7456 Melrose Ave., L.A. Info: (323) 960-7789 or Plays411.com/schwartz. Thurs.-Sats. at 8 p.m.; Suns. at 2 p.m. & 7 p.m. Closes Feb. 24.
Published: 01/09/2008
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