Past Productions

well.jpg
Well
Apr. 22, 2011 — May. 15, 2011

Written by Lisa Kron
Directed by MaryAnne Mosher
Cast Karen Wray with Sonja Berggren, Philip Bushell, J.J. Boone, Richard DeVicariis and Pam Paulson
Venue Theatre Out, Santa Ana

PANNDORA is pleased to present Lisa Kron's "Well" as our first production of 2011. Described by the author as "a multi-character theatrical exploration of issues of health and illness both in the individual and in a community," this comedic satire is "her richest achievement. . .a deeply affecting play." (New York Times) Time Out New York called "Well" -"Wickedly witty, inventive. . . a pathos-rich tale." Variety termed it "a perceptive, achingly funny play."

"Truly a beautiful play in many ways, "Well" paints a mother-and-daughter picture of rich, unusual artistry . . . Lisa, depicted as an anxious performance artist who narrates matters, explains that this show explores issues of health and wellness. Noting that Ann is plagued by undefined maladies, Lisa remarks, "My mother is a fantastically energetic person trapped in an utterly exhausted body." Despite the infirmities she attributes to 'allergies,' Ann somehow was vital enough to organize her neighborhood, some years back, into forging a racially integrated community. . . . [T]hese sagas and much, much more--plus the yin-yang of parent-child ties-- are brought to spontaneous life through a wonderfully anything-goes concept in text and staging. . . [A]s much as Lisa desperately strives to keep things on track, the production gradually escapes her control and madly gallops away on its own. . . .Wise and funny and utterly winning." The Star-Ledger

About Lisa Kron~

Lisa Kron has been writing and performing theater since coming to New York from Michigan in 1984. Her play, Well, opened to critical acclaim on Broadway at the Longacre Theater in March of 2006 and received two Tony nominations. It previously premiered at the Public Theater in spring 2004 and was listed among the year's best plays by the New York Times, the Associated Press, and Backstage. Her play 2.5 Minute Ride, premiered at La Jolla Playhouse in 1996 and then in New York at the Public Theater in 1999 and has toured extensively. It received an OBIE Award, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle nominations, L.A. Drama-Logue and GLAAD Media Awards and was named the best autobiographical show of 1999 by New York Press. Kron's other plays include 101 Humiliating Stories (Drama Desk nomination) and Martha, which she co-wrote with choreographer/performer Richard Move. Kron is a founding member of the OBIE and Bessie Award-winning theater company, the Five Lesbian Brothers. Kron is the recipient of the Cal Arts/Alpert Award, grants from the Creative Capital Foundation and New York Foundation for the Arts and playwriting fellowships from NEA/TCG, the Guggenheim Foundation and the Lucille Lortel Foundation. She teaches playwriting at the Yale Drama School. (information from Lisa Kron's official website, www.lisakron.com)

Reviews

From the OC Register: Issues of race revolving around the institutionlized segregation of the mid-20th century are almost as prominent in "Well" as are issues of health and illness. These two solid rails are bolstered by the real subject of "Well": Parent-child relationships as defined by Lisa and Ann Kron. . . .Part of what helped [Kron] regain her health was writing "Well," because "art helps makes sense of things." Indeed, that makes "Well" nearly as self-indulgent a piece of stagecraft as you're ever likely to see - but Kron is such a keen observer of human nature that the bulk of "Well" is still genuinely ingratiating.

http://www.ocregister.com/entertainment/-299187--.html http://www.backstage.com/bso/reviews-la-theatre/well-1005170652.story

Opening weekend has past and we are into the run. Friday and Saturday were great. Every time we do this show, we find more to love. And our audience seems to agree! Check out one theatre-goer's comments at http://twolivesonepath.blogspot.com/2011/04/well-is-theater-in-excellent-shape.html. Read the whole review, but here's a taste: "WELL" made me want to shout from the rooftops that I am alive. Panndora's production filled me with more than a love for life; it made me grateful for the 90 minutes I was in that theater. Because it was nourishing and fulfilling and important - and GOOD! Yippee skippee!

From the LA/OC Arts Examiner: This "solo piece with other people in it" gets a first-rate staging under the deft hand of director MaryAnne Mosher. Karen Wray plays Kron so well she's credible enough to be mistaken for the playwright; Sonja Berggren is her match as Ann, the mother. J.J. Boone stands out as the childhood chum and other characters among the ensemble of players sketching in the background. http://exm.nr/h3rpe9

Production Photos


 

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