Dividing The Estate – Review
Stage Review by Susan Hood:
Divine ‚Dividing The Estate‘
By SUSAN HOOD
June 5, 2009
A masterwork of trenchant comedy by the late Pulitzer Prize-winning dramatist Horton Foote is an unequivocal winning conclusion to Hartford Stage’s 45th season.
„Dividing the Estate,“ which last winter had a limited run on Broadway, has received two Tony Award nominations: for best new play and for Hallie Foote, the playwright’s daughter, as best featured actress in a play. The production is directed by Michael Wilson, artistic director of Hartford Stage.
„Dividing the Estate,“ like most of Foote’s work, is set in an imaginary, small Texas town and explores the universal theme of what constitutes „home.“ But it stands apart as a rib-tickling satire, and although set in late 1980s Texas, a time of economic fiasco, this comedy of family dissension and individual moral faults is timeless.
Four generations of the Gordon clan have gathered at the homestead… […]
The cast coheres as a brilliant ensemble, and each actor deserves kudos, as does director Wilson. But there are standouts. … […]
McRaney’s intelligent and multi-layered portrayal of Lewis, the most perplexing of characters, is outstanding, even moving. … […]
•DIVIDING THE ESTATE is 2 hours and 15 minutes in duration, including one intermission. It runs through July 5 at Hartford Stage, 50 Church St., Hartford. Schedule and ticket information: www.hartfordstage.org.
