Production History 5

Production History 5
1. Producing Organization : A Peoples Theater
2. Theater/Venu : Studio Theater at Theater Garage
3. City, State : Orlando, FL
4. Director : Chris Jorie
5. Designers : Set Design – John Roux , Lighting – Jay BeckerRun time : August 15- September 9th 2001

“The first time I saw Tom Griffin 's little comedy-drama The Boys Next Door , I thought it was all too cuddly. The second time it was sentimental and broad. But in its latest incarnation, director Chris Jorie brings such sensitivity to this slip of a story that, with his People's Theatre production, all my preconceptions are gone. Jorie and his actors have found bravery in what once seemed like mush. They've found the heart of Griffin 's play. Jorie is a new face for People's Theatre, a 2-year-old multicultural company that has bumped along from show to show without discovering a strong directorial hand. With The Boys Next Door , the shift is obvious. Not only has Jorie attracted actors who might not have auditioned for the company otherwise, but he has led them to be as good as they can. It's what theater should always be.”

- Elizabeth Maupin The Orlando Sentinel

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“Yet it's the more serious moments that linger the way these men struggle, the way both the weaker- and stronger-minded try to do their best and their best is not enough. You can see it in the chilling scene between Barry and his blustery father (Ken Sklar), when neither of them has a clue how to behave. And you can feel it in the break in Bruner's voice and the red around his eyes when the beaten-down Jack (Bruner has never been better) prepares to leave his charges behind. People's production stumbles against some technical challenges in the bare-bones Studio Theatre: Exits aren't always where they need to be, the rudimentary set (uncredited in the program) doesn't pass for all the locations it must, and the erratic lighting doesn't allow actors to make their exits gracefully between scenes. Still, the acting throughout is low-key and terrific, just as it must be to make this little play work. It has the moments, and it may flirt with sentimentality. But a good director takes it all in stride.”
- Phillip R. Greeves Orlando Sentinel