Monday, April 13, 2009

Review: Reasons to Be Pretty

Thomas Sadoski and Piper Perabo

Lots of Reasons to Like This One

By Lauren Yarger
Emotions run high, in fact they’re combustible, from the opening seconds of Neil LaBute’s Reasons to be Pretty, the witty “take-off-your-masks-and-hold-back-nothing” dialogue fest running at Broadway’s Lyceum Theatre.

Terry Kinney directs sharp actors playing characters who aren’t exactly what they appear to be in this probing study of just how important physical looks are in relationships. Greg (Thomas Sadoski) is in the doghouse with girlfriend Steph (Marin Ireland) after he compares her to a pretty new girl at work. His remarks about her “regular” looks to co-worker Kent (Steven Pasquale) are repeated to Steph by her best friend, and Kent’s wife, Carly (Piper Perabo).

Greg tries to soothe Steph’s anger by suggesting that he meant it as a compliment, but Steph isn’t buying any of it. After hitting him a bunch and throwing some furniture (the apartment/work warehouse set is from David Gallo), she breaks off their relationship, deciding she deserves to be in a relationship with someone who finds her attractive. Kent and Greg continue their “guy talk” at the warehouse where they work, and Kent confides that he is having an affair with the pretty new woman and that his pregnant wife doesn’t suspect a thing.

LaBute’s seemingly stereotypical characters reveal veiled motives driven by a need to be liked. Kent and Carly are quite attractive. He is an insensitive sexist jock; she’s a typical blonde with low self esteem and intelligence to match. As they develop through tight and revealing dialogue, Kent turns out to be a bully and not quite the man he thinks he is while Carly is a lot smarter than we think.

Meanwhile Greg, who at first seems clueless as to why he blew it with Steph, comes around and realizes a little too late, what he had and lost. Steph, whose relentless hostility and unwillingness to forgive comes off anything but pretty, softens up with a new beau and colorful and feminine costumes from Sarah J. Holden, belying the fact that looks are more important to a relationship than she’d like to admit.

Kinney’s deft direction also helps propel the action and character development. As Greg won’t step up to the plate, either to help Kent hide his affair or to help him win the company softball championship, the director places the actors, literally, on opposite sides of a fence. In another snapshot, dejected Greg sucks on his drink straw while waiting for Steph with some flowers at a restaurant as “Take a Look at Me Now” plays in the background (Robert Milburn and Michael Bodeen, sound and music design). It’s priceless.


Reasons to be Pretty runs at the Lyceum, 149 West 45th St., NY. Tickets are available by calling 212) 239-6200 or (800) 432-7250, or by visiting http://www.reasonstobepretty.com/.

Christians might also like to know:

• Sex Outside of Marriage
• Adultery
• Lord’s Name Taken in Vain
• Strong language throughout




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Our reviews are professional reviews written without a religious bias. At the end of them, you can find a listing of language, content or theological issues that Christians might want to know about when deciding which shows to see.

** Mature indicates that the show has posted an advisory because of content. Usually this means I would recommend no one under the age of 16 attend.

Theater Critic Lauren Yarger

Theater Critic Lauren Yarger

My Bio

Lauren Yarger has written, directed and produced numerous shows and special events for both secular and Christian audiences. She co-wrote a Christian musical version of “A Christmas Carol” which played to sold-out audiences of over 3,000 in Vermont and was awarded the Vermont Bessie (theater and film awards) for “People’s Choice for Theatre.” She also has written two other dinner theaters, sketches for church services and devotions for Christian artists. Her play concept, "From Reel to Real: The Jennifer O'Neill Story" was presented as part of the League of professional Theatre Women's Julia's reading Room Series in New York. Shifting from reviewing to producing, Yarger owns Gracewell Productions, which produced the Table Reading Series at the Palace Theater in Waterbury, CT. She trained for three years in the Broadway League’s Producer Development Program, completed the Commercial Theater Institute's Producing Intensive and other training and produced a one-woman musical about Mary Magdalene that toured nationally and closed with an off-Broadway run. She was a Fellow at the National Critics Institute at the O'Neill Theater Center in Waterford, CT. She wrote reviews of Broadway and Off-Broadway theater (the only ones you can find in the US with an added Christian perspective) at http://reflectionsinthelight.blogspot.com/.

She is editor of The Connecticut Arts Connection (http://ctarts.blogspot.com), an award-winning website featuring theater and arts news for the state. She was a contributing editor for BroadwayWorld.com. She previously served as theater reviewer for the Manchester Journal-Inquirer, Connecticut theater editor for CurtainUp.com and as Connecticut and New York reviewer for American Theater Web.

She is a Co-Founder of the Connecticut Chapter of the League of Professional Theatre Women. She is a former vice president and voting member of The Drama Desk.

She is a freelance writer and playwright (member Dramatists Guild of America). She is a member if the The Outer Critics Circle (producer of the annual awards ceremony) and a member of The League of Professional Theatre Women, serving as Co-Founder of the Connecticut Chapter. Yarger was a book reviewer for Publishers Weekly A former newspaper editor and graduate of the University of Missouri’s School of Journalism, Yarger also worked in arts management for the Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts, the Hartford Symphony Orchestra and served for nine years as the Executive Director of Masterwork Productions, Inc. She lives with her husband in West Granby, CT. They have two adult children.

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All material is copyright 2008- 2022 by Lauren Yarger. Reviews and articles may not be reprinted without permission. Contact reflectionsinthelight@gmail.com

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Key to Content Notes:

God's name taken in vain -- means God or Jesus is used in dialogue without speaking directly to or about them.

Language -- means some curse words are used. "Minor" usually means the words are not too strong or that it only occurs once or twice throughout the show.

Strong Language -- means some of the more heavy duty curse words are used.

Nudity -- means a man or woman's backside, a man's lower front or a woman's front are revealed.

Scantily clad -- means actors' private areas are technically covered, but I can see a lot of them.

Sexual Language -- means the dialogue contains sexually explicit language but there's no action.

Sexual Activity -- means a man and woman are performing sexual acts.

Adultery -- Means a married man or woman is involved sexually with someone besides their spouse. If this is depicted with sexual acts on stage, the list would include "sexual activity" as well.

Sex Outside of Marriage -- means a man and woman are involved sexually without being married. If this is depicted sexually on stage, the list would include "sexual activity" as well.

Homosexuality -- means this is in the show, but not physically depicted.

Homosexual activity -- means two persons of the same sex are embracing/kissing. If they do more than that, the list would include "sexual activity" as well.

Cross Dresser -- Means someone is dressing as the opposite sex. If they do more than that on stage the listing would include the corresponding "sexual activity" and/or "homosexual activity" as well.

Cross Gender -- A man is playing a female part or a woman is playing a man's part.

Suggestive Dancing -- means dancing contains sexually suggestive moves.

Derogatory (category added Fall 2012) Language or circumstances where women or people of a certain race are referred to or treated in a negative and demeaning manner.

Other content matters such as torture, suicide, or rape will be noted, with details revealed only as necessary in the review itself.

The term "throughout" added to any of the above means it happens many times throughout the show.

Reviewing Policy

I receive free seats to Broadway and Off-Broadway shows made available to all voting members of the Outer Critics Circle. Journalistically, I provide an unbiased review and am under no obligation to make positive statements. Sometimes shows do not make tickets available to reviewers. If these are shows my readers want to know about I will purchase a ticket. If a personal friend is involved in a production, I'll let you know, but it won't influence a review. If I feel there is a conflict, I won't review their portion of the production.

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