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Theater review
Ideas, not action, reveal 'Amy's View'
The 1997 play looks at why people stick to choices they've made, even when the error is apparent.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
DAYTON — There are a few surprises in "Amy's View," which opened Friday, June 6, at the Dayton Theatre Guild. They seem to come out of nowhere because most of the play follows fixed contours.
English politics and issues underlie the 1997 play by David Hare, but don't dominate the personal. It's about why people make choices and stick with them, even when the error is apparent.
Extras
If pondering such ideas with no guarantee of resolution is to your liking, Hare's four-act script staged by Ralph Dennler with a single intermission is for you. If you demand action and explanation, you may squirm with impatience.
The heart of it is widow Esme Allen (originally played by Judi Dench and done at the Guild with her usual distinction by Barbara Coriell.) A stage actress on the down slope due to eccentricity and the rise of television, she's forced to compromise her principles by financial straits brought on by trusty next-door investment adviser Frank Oddie (Geoff Burkman).
Meanwhile, her lovely daughter, Amy (Holly Kuhn), begins a family with and eventually weds the calmly arrogant Dominic (played with deserving depth by Alex Carmichal). Esme doesn't approve of him. Holly urges Esme to detach from Frank. But both stay the course. Others include Evelyn Thomas as Esme's mother-in-law and Matthew Smith as young actor Toby Cole.
No truths will hit you over the head, just observations that ring true about people following hearts, not minds. "Amy's View" will continue through June 22 at 8 p.m. Fridays, 5 p.m. Saturdays and 3 p.m. Sundays at 2330 Salem Ave. Tickets are $9-$15. Call (937) 278-5993.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2377 or
tmorris@DaytonDailyNews.com.
