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| Tyler Boettcher and Kellen Garner photo by Sarah Rodgers |
Click here for more information on this production that runs through September 8th.
"Bernard Pomerance's play The Elephant Man is an intriguing and insightful drama that uses the suffering that John Merrick, dubbed "the elephant man" due to his enlarged head and other physical deformities, endured to show both the inhumanity of the world and the belief that true beauty is anything but skin deep. Zao Theatre's smartly cast production features a beautiful performance by Kellen Garner as Merrick....Pomerance paints an intriguing picture of Merrick, and the play is an interesting study of how society treats those who are different. ...Kellen Garner is simply magnificent as Merrick in a touching, charming, gentle, honest and optimistic performance. He never evokes pity as this lonely, deformed creature, and he beautifully manages to show the compassion that Merrick had for those around him...Tyler Boettcher does well as the doctor who gives Merrick a new chance at life. Pomerance attempts to add some drama to the character, and Boettcher injects a good sense of rationality and compassion into Treves, but it's a mostly underwritten role. Diane Senffner instills Mrs. Kendal with a sense of humor and style, along with a huge amount of sensitivity, as the only person who sees Merrick as an equal and not an oddity. Senffner also makes us see the compassion and deep connection her character has with Merrick...Director Mickey Bryce, who also created the simple yet effective set design, does a good job of ensuring that the humor in the piece helps offset the horrors of Merrick's predicament....The Elephant Man is a beautiful play about what constitutes beauty and normalcy and while the outcome is ultimately sad, it makes for a rich journey to the past. Also, the simple lessons about trust and truth that Merrick lived by are ones that we could all learn from........ " -Gil Benbrook, Talkin' Broadway (click here to read the complete review)
"Two compelling figures dominate the stage in Zao Theatre's poignant and soulful production of Bernard Pomerance's Tony award winning THE ELEPHANT MAN. Kellen Garner delivers a riveting and intensely human portrayal of John Merrick, the severely disfigured foil of Victorian-era freak shows. Tyler Boettcher is perfectly staid and formal in demeanor as Frederick Treves, the up-and-coming physician who rescues Merrick from his hell-on-earth and offers him life-long sanctuary in Whitechapel's London Hospital. Patient and doctor are two sides of the human coin.......Diane Senffner (who has managed as well to serve as dialect coach to her fellow cast members) delivers a splendid and sublime portrayal of Mrs. Kendal that serves further to expose Merrick's brilliance....Bryce has assembled a sterling cast that, as an ensemble, gives glory to the play. He enriches the production with keen stagecraft. Wide screens flank the stage, projecting images that complement his minimalist set. It is, all in all, a remarkable and moving experience...." - Herbert Paine, Broadway World (click here to read the complete review)
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