Great little theatre company. only 8 rows, so all seats are good! Production well done.

Really well acted and directed, interesting script. Started so on time I missed a couple of minutes of the 7PM show!

It was certainly better than the terrible Rich and Famous that I saw recently at ACT, but it was still weak. I guess I'm off John Guare for a while.

The integration of song and music with the underlying serious message of the play and it's relevance to today, tho written between 1975 and 77 make it a good evening at the theatre. This company always tries hard and some of the ppleasure is derived by seeing the same thespians perform in widely divergent roles.

I first saw Landscape some 30 years ago at the S.F.Rep, directed by the gifted Michelle Truffaut, and have very fond memories of her evocative and suggestive production. Having recently seen another, lesser, Guare offering at another venue, I learned certain things about his craft that, unfortunately, have lessened my fondness and appreciation of Landscape. Bill English's heavy-handed approach to the script did not help, nor did the design elements, which should have been executed with more subtlety. So I will talk instead about the actors. Susi Damilano was spell-binding in her interpretation of the difficult role of the hapless Betty. She handled those fiendishly difficult monologues with aplomb, and her silences were golden, often saying more about her character than any of her lines. Rana Kangas-Kent was almost as good as her sister Rosalie. Andrew Hurteau brought depth and sympathy to the role of Marvin, and while Gabriel Marin's turn as Raulito was a little too broad for my tastes, it was an audience pleaser, and his portrayal of the crazed Durwood Peach was quite lovely and surprisingly touching. I'm not certain which young actor I saw as Bert (since two young men were credited as alternating in the role) but whichever it was, he was also very good indeed. The delicacy of Guare's prose, when it was allowed to float on its own magical rhythms, was very much in evidence, especially in the concluding scenes of both acts. It was the poetry of the play that drew me to it in the first place, and it is still there to be relished and enjoyed.

Good show. Very dark but very interesting!!

Amazingly well done. The cast was GREAT. One of the things I really appreciate is that teenaged characters were played by teenaged actors, not by 25-year-olds trying to look and sound like teenagers. It's clear that the troupe has done some serious mentoring with the younger members, who delivered standout performances. Guare calls this play a "comedy," but it has a very dark side--which, for me, makes it interesting and rich when performed like this.

Interesting play (I suppose) although I am baffled as to why Guare included an almost random handful of songs, some performed well enough and one that was just painful to have to witness. The actors' performances were mixed. Some of the comments made by other Goldstar members about the younger actors seem to ring true on the date we went to (February 13) with the exception of the actress who played Jo Anne; she was well-cast and quite strong. The actors playing Betty and Raulito/ Durwood were very good. The set was strong; the story so-so.

Between a 3 and 4 star for me. It was a terrific production of a very serious piece of theater. The blending of children with very experienced actors was done quite well.

Enjoyed this play very much...small venue but the talent was big...took my sister in law and we had agreed to leave a intermission if not liking the show....we stayed and enjoyed every minute.

I attended a preview show and came away with mixed feelings. My biggest problem is with the play itself: it clearly bites off far more than it can chew, and tries to juggle a number of major themes and plots, each of which should have deserved its own full length treatment. But then, this seems to be a characteristic of John Guare, as evident in Rich & Famous which is playing at the ACT right now. The performances generally rise above the confusing and occasionally trite material, especially Susi Damilano, who is a genius at conveying understated pathos. The biggest disappointments were the four young actors, who seemed vaguely disinterested in general and too self conscious in the dramatic scenes.

It's official- I'm not a John Guare Fan. Having seen Rich and Famous, Six Degrees, this show and House of Blue Leaves He leaves me scratching my head. That said...
SF Playhouse has mounted a handsome production. This was a preview so there were a few flubbed lines- but the actors got through the show. The story line is at least more comprehensible than Rich and Famous- but surprisingly dark in a show advertised as a comedy. Loved the actor playing Durwood. First act is too long- some of the songs don't really move the story. I'm not a fan of teen actors-just didn't feel that the kids were up to par. Just a personal preference- i'd rather see 20 somethings who are better actors play the kids and suspend disbelief, than see kids who are the appropriate age but weak in performance skills. Still Bill English accomplished what a larger company down the street did not- to take an old chestnut and give it a new outing without too much dust.

I thought it was an interesting production. The two lead actresses were very sincere in their performance, both were very talented.

However, the first half was a little too long, that I was starting to wonder where this was all going. I think it was 1.5 hours for the first half.

I also agree with some other reviewers that the young actors need to be more comfortable on stage and match up to the other more experienced actors in the production. Since this was the preview, I think they will get better over time.

All in all, an enjoyable production.

The play was interesting and the small venue made it all the more enjoyable.

The play itself didn't seem quite cohesive, and the performance was mediocre. The children were difficult to understand since they didn't enunciate clearly.

Energetic performance of very interesting play in small, pleasant venue.

I saw a preview so I am sure it will improve. The subject matter was heavy not quite what I expected. The first half seemed long. I am glad that we got to give feedback. Hopefully, they will cut some of the songs that did not really fit. The bottle idea is a clever concept and I like to be involved as an audience member. They just need to explain it and encourage it at the end of the play. You really only knew what to do or what it was about if you read the program. (I do not want to give that part away.) I also had some difficulty hearing or understanding some of the actors. I have seen other plays at this venue and never experienced that before. Maybe they just need to project better. I am sure the actors are drained after each show because of the deep subject matter.

It was a preview so there were a few flubs as to be expected. Overall the play was enjoyable, the singing was good. The cop and the kid's girlfriend's performance are weak but the actress that perform the Betty and Rosalie roles do a good job and make up for that which is lacking. The actor playing the two odd ball characters steals the show.

I always like previews, it's good to see the unpolished performance. This was a good production, but be forewarned there are some serious issues in this play.

Landscape of the Body was a good performance to attend. The performers were really good and the direction/staging/design very effective. My husband, with me, liked the writing more than I did. I thought the one character (Betty) had far too many monologues where Guare had her retelling too much of the story.
But--we are never disappointment in what Bill English puts together.

The actors, direction, and the set were all fine. The play itself was almost unperformable.

This is an early work by John Guare, characterized
by rich powerful image-filled language, but perhaps
marred by situations and theatrical conceits (like
the ghost of the dead sister who appears as a lounge-act singer) that are contrived and heavy-handed.

At the preview, the child-actors needed more work,
but all in all, a strong production with some
excellent acting.

Strong script, excellent cast, interesting set and lighting. An all-around worthwhile production.

Very witty and extremely funny. One of the better performances I have seen at the SF Playhouse recently.

I enjoyed the show!