A.C.T. (San Francisco, CA)
American master Edward Albee's (Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?) new spellbinder is a meticulously calibrated and brutal look at the lives of three New Yorkers. The story opens with Peter, a tweedy book editor, and his wife, Ann, whose everyday conversation takes an unexpected turn into dangerously personal territory. It's the kind of talk that can drive a husband out for a walk -- to Central Park, where Jerry, a desperate outcast, awaits.
Event summary prepared by the Goldstar Editorial Team.
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The last date listed for Edward Albee's At Home at the Zoo was Saturday July 4, 2009 / 2:00pm. (view all dates)
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OMG!!!! At home at the Zoo - Fab-U-Lous! It was heavy, but great. These days, you forget that "Theatre" is just not Musical, but great drama as well.
I was 2nd row, off to the side, but still a great seat.
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I really enjoyed the play. My seats were nicely located in the Orchestra section. I liked the acting and the sparse set in the first half but thought a bit more could have been done in the second -- 2 benches and a green lit stage as a background could have been enhanced a bit to make it more "park-like".
Sorry to say that the only reason for the second star is that I admit to being tired and cranky on a Friday night after a trying work week. Perhaps I wasn't in the proper mood to appreciate the work. That said, aside from strong acting and occasionally spry dialogue, it was quite forgettable.
This really is a big theatrical event not to be missed. I have always wanted to see "Zoo Story" and I was surprisingly not wowed this this production of it. Nonetheless, the show is very good.
Beautifully produced very well acted, but not Albee's strongest work. It was worth seeing, however.
A playwright and an Albee fan, I was curious to see what he had accomplished by adding the first scene. Carl Jung said that the journey from the mind to the heart took some twenty to thirty years. I believe that Albee's life journey is quite evident in this particular piece. I had read "Zoo Story" some years ago, and found that this version, with the first act added, is quite superb. It enriches the story, deepens the characters, and expertly mines the nuances and surprises inherent in all relationships, both long-term and casual. In this case, not so casual. A.C.T.'s production is impecable, the acting and directing first rate. I highly recommend this truly satisfying theatre experience!
The acting, especially by Jerry, was superb, although I wasn't really sure what the theme of the play was. The characters were well developed, and very believable, and the pace was fast enough to keep my interest.
The first act was quite good, acting superb. But the second act, which was a redo of the original Zoo Story didn't work for me. The character of Jerry didn't seem sufficiently troubled or psychotic enough to justify his suicide, nor to jusify Peter just sitting there on the bench and tolerating his rant. Jerry, I should think, would need to frighten Peter, to convey a sense of likely harm and ominousness. That didn't happen, so it seemed preposterous that a successful man, even though troubled by the recent row with his wife, would just have these sorts of conversations with a homeless, errant sort. Simply not believable.
This is a wonderful staging of related early and late career plays by Albee who is always challenging and provocative. The new play shows how refined a dramatist he has become, with evocative uses of silence and below the surface meanings to conversations. Zoo Story still packs a punch. A must-see for Albee fans. Fine acting and production values.
The best part of the performance was the actors. They put on an exceptional performance. The play, however, left a lot to be desired. There appeared to be little relavancy between the first and second act.
I was disappointed by the script. Act 2 felt pretty dated and I felt sorry for Rene Auguson having to play the role of the wife. It felt like such a false character - and this is not a slur on her acting at all. I just don't think Albee wrote a very believable female here at all - and Act 1 felt false for Peter as well. Acting, set, and other production values were fine.
albee never fails to be provocative, and this was no exception. acting was excellent, as i've come to expect of the ACT. i enjoyed the first act very much -- very thought provoking. we had a difficult time making sense of the second act, especially digesting it w.r.t. the first. overall, if you like theater that shakes you and makes you think (instead of mindless eye candy entertainment), you'd like this play.
I went to this play because my husband likes Edward Albee and he had fond memories of seeing this play in High School. He enjoyed the play but I really didn't like it. It was well acted but I just hated the play and it put me in a depressed mood afterwards. Very disturbing which is ususal For Edward Albee.
Wonderful seats!!!!!!
I thought that the first act which was recently added was far superior to the second act. The first act was the work of a mature author, while the second act was that of a beginner. Still, it was stimulating theatre. The sexual yearning of the wife appeared to strike a responsive chord in women in the audience,
The acting was uniformally excellent. Although I feel that it isn't one of Albee's better plays, it is still worth it to hear his blistering dialogue.
Interesting play. Very good actors.
The idea is not new, the problem is unsolvable and your mood doesn't go up after you've been reminded that life would be better if you didn't think too much about it and just lived it like some members of our society do. And they are always happy.
But we'll keep thinking, keep looking for answers, keep trying....
It was amazing!!! and the seats fabulous!
thank you
Mindy
Beautifully crafted playthat demands your full attention. Am still thinking about it. A bit over-acted and under-acted in places, but on the whole very strong performances.
It was terrific!
Excellent production, especially given the history of this play's evolution. Albee is an American treasure, and the actors do a fine job with his superb dialogue.
The second half of this play, originally THE ZOO STORY, was quite a thrill to see for the first time after having first read it 45 years ago.
The play's first half came off as a sort of drawing room piece about Peter's dull marriage, drawing parallels from the early work. The set design, all in white with strip lighting, depicts the colorlessness of their union, like a blank sheet that wants to be be drawn on. It lacked the drive, pulse, and explosiveness of the second half.
A great piece of writing (2 great pieces really) in an excellent production.
We enjoyed the new play about Peter. Rene is wonderful as usual. It was the first time my friend had seen Rene in a play and she was very impressed. The Zoo Story rather ran on and on and we started to lose interest until the last 15-20 minutes. It worth it just to see the new play about a long married couple who really don't communicate and finally have a long over due conversation where they find out they really don't know each other anymore. Perhaps they never really did.
I am glad I saw this performance as I've wanted to see it since it was called Peter & Jerry. This Albee play is definitely wordy and I'm glad I was in a mood to pay attention to the words or I would have been lost. Manoel Felciano is wonderful as Jerry. His performance alone is worth the price of a ticket.
All in all the play was disappointing. While the new Act 1 added information about Peter and gave him motivation, it did not really give us greater insight into his character, so it is debatable whether it adds much to the original.
In Act 1, the interaction between Ann and Peter was on a very surface level. If the actors don't know who they are, the audience can't really care about them. There was no sense of a long relationship, and the timing was out. If they had been more real, their miscommunication would have been both funnier and sadder, but there was nothing behind the lines. Overall it was dull. It was played like a Noel Coward play without the wit.
In Act 2, Jerry brought energy to the play, but used it up too soon. By the communication speech, the most important speech in the play, he had lost us. It's a hard part to sustain. There are many long monologues and the actor must pace himself carefully, like a long distance runner. In this case the actor knew exactly who Jerry was, but missed the light and shade in the lines and peaked too soon. Peter is an important part of this act, but he seemed to drift off on his bench. To support Jerry, and to make Act 2 work, Peter must be there every moment.
The play needs careful, more astute direction. My impression was that the director was not thoughtful about the pattern of the play and had no sense of the characters as real people. They were played as symbols, which they are, but they must be real too. Because of this lack of attention on the part of the director, the actors wallowed in indulgence and the message of the play was obscured. The ending should be shocking, but it was totally lost.
The minimalist sets were effective, reflecting us right back into the play. What a shame that there was little substance to keep us there.
The 1st half was bo-e-ring the 2nd was ok
Have been quite famiiar w/"The Zoo Story" and have always admired it as a great acting vehicle. And so it is.
Was curious to see what Albee did w/the prequel.It's a very god play, & I encourage you to see this Albee pairing, especially if you don't know the plays at all.
I really enjoyed this show. I love great drama and some great acting and, if you do too, you will enjoy and appreciate this show. I think Albee writes great dialogue (and it is a show with a lot of dialogue). Not everyone will like this show but I truly found it to be a great evening of theatre.
If you like good drama, go see this show. I think without the first act the second act would not have been as interesting so I am very glad the two acts were shown together.
excellent performance. Brilliant acting. Don't know how the three principals ever learned all those amazing lines!
Enjoyed this very much - more than I expected. The actors were great.
Excellent play. Albee is always good - not for the faint of heart. Actors were top notch.
The new act At Home left me unimpressed. At the Zoo was great as usual.
Overall I'd give it a 2.5. I found the first half to be rather contrived and boring. The conversation between the husband and wife got rather old and I kept thinking "who are these people- why are they so naive?". People around me were laughing, but I just kept being annoyed and thought it was kind of stupid. But, the second half was WAY better. Jerry was fabulous and definitely made me laugh a lot. Questioning what love is and how people communicate with others were interesting themes. Overall, I don't think I'd wholly recommend to others.
Brilliant writing and acting, but short on story. Second act was principally a monologue--well-executed but interminable. I didn't feel there was enough substance for a play; it was more of a study. I dare to say that if it wasn't Edward Albee it wouldn't have been produced.
Ladies and Gentlemen: RUN, DO NOT WALK, to see this excellent, stunning evening of theatre!
A great play. For those familiar with the original Zoo Story and those new to it. And the orchestra seats offered by Goldstar were great.
Wonderful acting, especially Jerry, but all talk but mostly no action.
Disappointing. Is this really by the same guy who wrote WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOLF? Lordy, Lordy. It seemed very caught up in itself and I didn't care for any of the characters. Very stripped down sets (I liked the sets). All the characters seemed so solipsistic. I dunno, I'd seen a terrific performance earlier in the day (Don Reed at the Marsh in SF)....this was so disappointing after seeing Don Reed's great show. I'm glad I didn't pay full price to see that ACT production.
well acted & zoo story is terrific...still working out the prequel scene
All three actors were excellent. The original (now second) act has lost none of its power to stun, while the new first act fills in the character of Peter by having his wife, Ann, draw him out and reveal him--and her and their marriage--to us. Kudos are also due to Albee for daring to add to his established play--and thereby enrich it.
I'd forgotten how much I enjoy Albee's dialogue. It seemed as though the entire audience could empathize with the characters, laughing at the dialogue between husband and wife and being totally still during the second act. I'd like to know how the original play ended(Albee,in the program,refers to changing the ending).
Nothing special.
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The Geary Theater, built in 1909, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a San Francisco City Landmark. The theater's neo-classical brick and terra cotta facade on Geary Street opens to a monumental 1,500 seat auditorium trimmed with ornamental stenciling and gilded plaster.
<p>An unforgettable pairing of Albee's original The Zoo Story with a freshly penned prequel, Edward Albee's At Home at the Zoo (formerly titled Peter and Jerry) bares its teeth to threaten the delicately balanced world its characters inhabit.</p>