REVIEWS

Reviews of the play A Brief Crack of Light

(previous title Exit Strategy)

Below are several reviews of the play A Brief Crack of Light by Bill Semans and Roy Close at the Garry Marshall Theatre (former Falcon Theatre) in Los Angeles and the Mixed Blood Theatre in Minneapolis.

Review of A Brief Crack of Light
Los Angeles Artsbeat By Pauline Adamek

"Scene“Well-directed and beautifully performed, A Brief Crack of Light is a highly enjoyable night at the theater.

Bill Semans and Roy M. Close’s play, A Brief Crack of Light, is a real treat. In this delightful story, a pair of senior citizens learn you’re never too old for an exciting adventure. The lights come up on a shabby lounge area of an old rooming house. This is the Penley Hotel, an old residence that caters to elderly people on fixed incomes…When Mae shows James a notice she’s just received, stating that their building is scheduled for demolition, you can see their spirits crumple as if all their breath has been kicked out of them. The pair of pensioners find themselves facing imminent eviction and an uncertain future.

Enter Alex, a younger man on a mission…to reclaim a valuable item that was stolen from his family years ago. He needs their help in order to get it back, but what he wants to ask of them is not entirely legal…Together, they are completely convincing as pensioners who concoct a scheme intended to right an old wrong.”

 

Arts & Entertainment Review of A Brief Crack of Light

ON THE TOWNSEND BY JOHN TOWNSEND

“A Brief Crack of Light is roguish fun, uproariously funny, and a groundbreaking comedy to boot. Playwrights Roy M. Close and Bill Semans address the limited options available to senior citizens, even when they’re passionate, sharp and full of insight…

For starters, A Brief Crack of Light‘s two main characters… [are] confronted with a moral dilemma when asked by a mysterious stranger to assist in a crime. They’re both refreshingly flawed and down to earth, not to mention bright. Mae in the way of street smarts and James as an academic. But be warned: they still have feisty libidos and a need for romance and adventure! For all its great fun, A Brief Crack of Light is pungently provocative and incisive, even ruthless, in its many observations. A breakthrough in the portrayal of the aged.”

Review of A Brief Crack of Light
By Single White Fringe Geek


“‘I have options. Lots of options.’ ‘Name one.’ A Brief Crack of Light by local writers Bill Semans and Roy M. Close has one of the funniest first acts on a play that I’ve seen in recent memory – full of one-liners based solidly in character, acted with a great deal of panache. It’s the kind of first act which completely wins you over, endears the characters to you, and makes you wait eagerly for intermission to be over and the second act to begin. For that reason alone, I can highly recommend you see it.

The Premise

“At the outset of A Brief Crack of Light, the owners of the Penley, the boarding house where Mae and James live, decide to close the place down within another month’s time. The two sparring friends are at a loss to know where to look for a new home. The demise of the Penley is seen as just another signifier that James and Mae’s options in general are shrinking in number, and time is running out…Mae is the live-in caretaker for the Penley, and James is its sole remaining tenant – a former actor and professor who resigned amid scandal. These two characters know how to push one another’s buttons and they do so repeatedly, with enthusiasm.


Trailer from an earlier production of A Brief Crack of Light

James and Mae

Though James is gay and Mae straight, the chemistry between the two indicates an important platonic relationship in both their lives…They’re an old married couple in all ways but one. The adventure which comes their way is brought to them by Alex, an ex-con who may or may not be running a con on Mae and James. [It’s] more than just a caper play…The play is awash in memorable lines, from the playful…’We don’t have a rodent problem. All our rodents are quite content.’ To the wistful…’I’d like to fall in love again. I must be out of my mind.’…There’s frank talk, but it’s always good talk – grounded in character, shining with intelligence, wit and humanity…

Wonderful performances

A Brief Crack of Light is an unique experience. The first act of the script literally crackles along, it’s a delight – and overall, the story and characters are a lot of fun right to the end…On many levels, theatrical productions like this don’t come along that often. You should see it. Highly Recommended.”