Quick reviews of recent events
Submit your own review or commentary to Events@CoolCleveland.com

Heaven's My Destination @ Cleveland Play House 4/29 Originally a novel by Thornton Wilder, this odd mix of smugly cynical satire and picaresque adventure probably lends itself better to the page than the stage. Lee Blessing (who adapted it) and Michael Bloom (who directed) and a vibrant ensemble of actors made a gallant attempt to translate the story, but it’s impossible not to compare it to Wilder’s next work, an actual play, the one everyone has to read in high school: Our Town. Our Town’s series of vignettes works because each dead person has a different story. In Heaven, however, the story sticks to one character, George Brush, who is more caricature than human. He’s made to prance through this and that adventure to expose his simple-minded religious views and his inability to live up to them. It’s impossible not to feel the prissy weight of Wilder’s judgment on the values he (evidently) rejected growing up. Despite all this--it’s a play to see because of three things: 1) it makes Our Town look like a great play, 2) the talented cast, and 3) the set design by Russell Parkman. The set relies on a center structure plastered with detritus of everyday life that revolves to create new areas. And as a bonus, it was fun to see what looked like the family car from A Christmas Story recycled as George Brush’s vehicle. This play, part of FusionFest, continues through May 17. Learn more at http://www.ClevelandPlayHouse.com.

From Cool Cleveland contributor Laura Kennelly lkennellyATgmail.com
(:divend:)