The Road Theatre Company presents “At The Table,” written by Michael Perlman and directed by Judith Moreland.
Running from May 17 through July 20, Friday & Saturday at 8pm, Sunday at 2pm
The Road on Lankershim, 5108 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood, 91601
“At The Table” is a story set at a country retreat.
A group of friends is on their annual weekend getaway, a tradition they have created for themselves. It’s an excuse to relax, let their hair down and catch up with each other. Friends since college, it is also an excuse to regress to their old patterns of behavior, getting drunk, getting high, arguing, debating, sleeping in and forgetting their more adult lives and the pressures and obligations that await them come Sunday. But 10 or so years on from their college selves they are changed, grown in different directions and, as much as they yearn for their younger fun selves, as all of us know so well, it’s not always a good idea to look back with longing.
Blake Young-Fountain, Avery Clyde, Christian Prentice and Justin Okin
This year there are a couple of new faces. One of them brings his oldest friend from childhood who just happens to run a non-profit feminist group and the other is a workmate of the only black person among them who is also a woman and living with another one of them who is white, which becomes very pertinent. Her bright idea was to bring her black colleague and set him up with her friend and only other gay man and you know how well that kind of thing usually works out…
Ray Paolantonio and Blake Young-Fountain
It’s a scenario fraught with drama and mishaps and misunderstandings. All of them so desperate to have fun, to relax, to “be themselves,” it’s bound to not work out how they might expect.
This is a play that explores our very human trait of ignoring what’s wrong until it either goes away on its own or everything explodes. And things never go away on their own, do they? It’s about talking without listening, understanding without empathizing and losing oneself in order to be loved. There’s a lot of talk and talking over each other, asnd opinions and familial recollections of simpler times together, and it feels all too real.
Justin Okin, Cherish Monique Duke
The Road Theatre company has a reassuring habit of picking plays that shamelessly hold a mirror to our rather tempered vision of our lives. “At The Table” is another sly glimpse at our simmering narcism and our dangerously brazen misdirection of our simple souls. We would all love to think we are so well adjusted, wouldn’t we? So free from blame, so utterly in sync with each other’s sufferings. We are not and the friends in this play are definitely not, however hard they pretend to be.
Cherish Monique Duke and Christian Prentice
Brilliantly written with shockingly accurate connections, aggravations and diluted love.
The cast is perfection, all gratuitously affectionate and charmingly fatuous. It reeks of privilege and twisted affectation in glorious coolness and extremely relevant ways. How hard it is to look at oneself sometimes and how absolutely necessary? The cast navigates the boisterous camaraderie and playful banter with expert ease and hilariousness. The tension is palpable and the feeling of being an actual fly on an actual wall very intense. As usual, The Road outdoes itself and I cannot recommend “At The Table” enough.
Christian Prentice, Ray Paolantonio, Justin Okin
“The Big Chill” with a Moby soundtrack and vape instead of doobies…and no death…superbly performed and gorgeously presented!! Bravo!
Cast:
Justin Okin as Stuart, Christian Prentice as Nate, Avery Clyde as Chris, Ray Paolantonio as Elliot, Cherish Monique Duke as Lauren, Blake Young-Fountain as Nicholas, Jacqueline Misaye as Sophie and Nick Marcone as Leif.
The Design Team for AT THE TABLE is as follows: Set Design by Brian Graves; Lighting Design by Derrick McDaniel; Sound Design by Chris Moscatiello; Costume Design by Mary Jane Miller; Properties Design by Heath Harper. The Production Stage Manager is Beth Mack. AT THE TABLE is produced by Tracey Silver, Tally McCormack, Ray Paolantonio and Kevin McCorkle