Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Judith Light is sensational in Neil LaBute’s otherwise pedestrian ALL THE WAYS TO SAY I LOVE YOU

• By drediman
• September 29, 2016
• No Comments

Judith Light in Neil LaBute’s “All the Ways to Say I Love You” at MCC Theater

MCC Theater has long been the prolific Neil LaBute’s New York home. Not surprisingly, his latest play All the Ways to Say I Love You was unveiled last night at the Lucille Lortel Theatre under the auspices of that company. Many of you who have followed Mr. LaBute’s career know that he has made a name for himself by writing plays (and movies) that depend largely on shock value and sensationalism. On paper, his most recent entry is no different, a one-woman show that chronicles a high school teacher’s affair with one of her students. In many ways, the play is a study on guilt and mounting paranoia. In the masterful hands of Judith Light, it also becomes a fascinating portrait of subtle self-deception.

However, despite Ms. Light’s penetrating performance and Leigh Silverman’s carefully calibrated direction, Mr. LaBute’s play largely remains frustratingly earth-bound and oddly pedestrian (which unfortunately has been the case with much of his recent output). A part of me wishes that the playwright would have imbued Ms. Light’s character with the same vitriol as he does many of his male creations. Nevertheless, Ms. Light is a sensation in the role, ringing out every ounce of nuance and emotion from the play. I would recommend catching the production solely on the strength of her piercingly transparent performance.

RECOMMENDED

ALL THE WAYS TO SAY I LOVE YOU
Off-Broadway, Play
MCC Theater at the Lucille Lortel Theatre
1 hour (without an intermission)
Through October 23