And Away We Go – Location, Tickets, Reviews
The script of Terrence McNally’s And Away We Go might as well be a love poem to theater, written on the back of your playbill. It begins with members of the Pearl Theatre Company taking the stage to introduce themselves and talk about their favorite roles. Then, using only our imaginations as a time machine, we are taken to great backstage moments in theater history – a marathon performance of the Oresteia in ancient Athens, a rehearsal of The Tempest at Shakespeare’s Globe, the first reading of Chekov’s The Seagull, and the disastrous closing performance of the world premiere of Waiting for Godot.
What we learn from these scenes, of course, is that not much has changed in the theater over the centuries. Preening actors fight with exacting playwrights and new work struggles for relevance against celebrated classics. Above all hangs the dark cloud of The Death of the Theater, as economics, politics, and war shove drama to the brink of extinction.
McNally and director Jack Cummings III have created a work that celebrates the community and collaboration theater creates, while teasing its grandiosity and questioning why artists make it in the first place. Is theater for elites or the masses? Can it be a megaphone for social justice, or is it a luxury devoured only by the wealthy? Is theater a commodity or a meeting place?
And Away We Go is a fun exercise in theatrical navel-gazing – deliciously played by the Pearl’s ensemble – but we wonder if non-theater people will find this play interesting, funny, or relevant. TheaterMania begins its review with a warning – “Theater nerds, rejoice! All others? Well, you may find yourself a bit confused when you see Terrence McNally’s new play” – and, yeah, that about says it. If you have ever worked in a theater – onstage or off – you’ll probably get a huge kick out of And Away We Go. If you’re just a casual theater-goer, this one might be too inside-baseball for you.
LOCATION
The Pearl Theatre Company
555 W 42nd Street
New York City
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RUNNING TIME
1 hour and 50 minutes, no intermission
TICKETS
$35.00 – $60.00 (click here for tickets)
DATES
Extended through December 21, 2013
REVIEWS
New York Times
Who Knew That Greek Festival Had Such Legs?
Time Out New York
Terrence McNally’s play, written specially for the Pearl, hopscotches through history to look backstage at theater troupes from ancient Greece to modern Coral Gables.
NYtheater Now
In And Away We Go, McNally celebrates the behind-the-scenes dramas at various forms of repertory companies, striving through the ages to create and keep alive the classics of dramatic literature.
TheaterMania
Terrence McNally takes us on a wild ride through the history of theater.
Theater Pizazz
“‘And Away We Go’ provides the opportunity and enjoyment of watching good actors, particularly as they parade before us as … good actors.”
CAST & CREW
(partial list)
Written by Terrence McNally
Directed by Jack Cummings III
Featuring Rachel Botchan, Donna Lynne Champlin, Dominic Cuskern, Sean McNall, Carol Schultz and Micah Stock