A Number by Caryl Churchill
Odyssey Theatre
Steve Cell and John Heard photo: Enci
John Heard and Steve Cell photo: Enci
John Heard and Steve Cell photo: Enci
Steve Cell and John Heard photo: Enci
"The play’s eerie mood is strikingly evoked by set designer Christopher Kuhl’s living room that seems to float in the theater’s hollow black box — an unadorned, masculine space of wood and leather, suspended in a no-man’s land. And with its halting dialogue, ambiguous relationships and unspoken sense of menace, “A Number” finds Churchill in a Pinteresque mode. Like the late master Harold, she is a droll and minute observer of the fiercest human qualities: need, hate, self-justification. And at 65 minutes, director Bart DeLorenzo’s production is one of the most efficient pieces of stagecraft you’ll see this season: smart, brutal, and ultimately a bit of a tease. Whatever you make of it, the sheer intelligence of Churchill’s writing makes this a must-see for anyone who cares about plays." - Charlotte Stoudt, Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles premiere at the Odyssey Theatre, May 2009