"...there were bright moments..."

Where Has Tommy Flowers Gone?
Written by Terrence McNally
Directed by E. Gray Simons III

Performances through July 22:
Monday - Saturday at 8pm,
and Saturdays at 2pm.

Berkshire Theatre Festival  |  berkshiretheatre.org
P.O. Box 797, Stockbridge, MA 01262
Box Office: 413-298-5576
E-mail:info@berkshiretheatre.org

May 27, 2006 performance reviewed by Sandy Michel.

The success of the BTF Unicorn stage production of Terrence McNally's "Where Has Tommy Flowers Gone" truly depends upon the rememberance of that past era - the 50s and 60s, and upon the believability and relevance of the major characters. Since this is one of McNally's earlier plays, it lacks the spareness and subtlety of his later work.

Do we care about Tommy Flowers? He is played, by Brian Weaver, ocassionally very well, but more often with more noise than depth. I neither liked him nor could identify with his brand of self-absorption and own-committment. After all, this was an era when the young were either very involved, very opinionated, or very high.

We marched in protest, spoke out, and burned bras and draft cards. This production evoked none of the electricity from those days. I didn't like Tony. I didn't dislike Tony. Mr. Weaver was without the charisma demanded by the part. The audience didn't take to Tommy Flowers, seeming not to care much about him.

As in every early play by a great dramatist, there were bright moments in this production. Certainly Lizzie Thrasher was excellent as Monroe and Bunny Barnum. The ensemble as a whole was very energetic and entertaining.

I lived in and was quite involved in these times. The Bloomingdale's scene made me smile nostalgically. But I was offended by Tommy's little bomb; he was neither a terrorist nor a Columbine student. Tommy was a shallow young man who didn't warrant a play being written about his character. He was not an honest representative of his generation.