Quick Hit Theater Review: Lemon Sky

 Kellie Overbey, Kevin Kilner, Keith Nobbs. Photo Richard Termine © 2011

Lemon Sky
By Lanford Wilson
Directed by Jonathan Silverstein
Keen Company
The Clurman Theatre

Summary:
In an autobiographical play from the life of Wilson, Alan (Keith Nobbs) moves from Detroit to San Diego in the late 1950s to live with his father, Douglas (Kevin Kilner), a womanizer who abandoned him and his mother years ago to be with his current wife, Ronnie (Kellie Overby). Also living in the home are Alan's two half brothers,  Jerry (Logan Riley Bruner) and Jack (Zachary Mackiewicz) and two foster daughters, uptight Penny (Amie Tedesco) and sexy Carol (Alyssa May Gold).

Alan hits it off with Ronnie, and likes his younger siblings, but the situation goes from awkward to hostile with his father after Douglas demands that Alan get a job and start paying for his keep. Revelations about the past come out and when Doug, enjoying his hobby of soft-porn photography, hits on Penny, he might just have destroyed another marriage.

Highlights:
Performances of the three main characters are good. Nobbs is likable as the young man trying to give this new family the benefit of the doubt. Kilner is right on as the sleasy dad and Overby gives a lot of layers to the woman caught in between. Particularly noteworthy is Tedesco's mousy introvert. Some vintage furniture sets the stage nicely (design by Bill Clarke).

Lowlights:
Wilson's technique of having Alan talk to the audience in between seeing action that he just told us about gets old, especially with a lot of repeated dialogue (it feels a little long at two hours and 20 minutes). Alan keeps promising us that a scene is coming, but nothing really happens until the final scene, which explodes. The family chows down on hotdog buns, minus the hotdogs (was the prop budget that tight?)  and Carol appears to have bruises and cuts that never are explained.

Other information:
The Clurman is at Theatre Row (410 West 42nd St., NYC,between 9th and 10th avenues). Discounted tickets are available by clicking here .

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