Los Angeles Times
- Highly Recommended
"...You don't have to chop down a cherry orchard to feel the sting of lost time. Just sit and share a brandy with the people of "The Autumn Garden," Lillian Hellman's 1951 ensemble drama now receiving an elegant staging by the Antaeus Company at Deaf West Theatre."
LA Weekly
- Highly Recommended
"...Perry is excellent as the shrewd, long-suffering Sophie; so is Anne Gee Byrd as Mary's mother, a deliciously sardonic grand dame who minces no words. As the story's villainous roué, Caffrey's skill is unimpeachable, but his drunken predator is so unappealing that it's hard to see how he might ever have charmed anyone. (The production is double-cast.)"
Backstage
- Recommended
"...The two excellent ensembles bring out different nuances while remaining true to the playwright's intentions. In the role closest to a central one, Holt emphasizes hostess Constance's forlorn quality, while Knight comes across as slightly more resigned to the woman's lot in life. Nordling's take on the stridently self-centered artist Nicholas suggests more of the charm that Nina and Constance found in this man, prior to his second-act descent into reckless drunkenness."
LAist
- Highly Recommended
"...The Antaeus Company's excellent production of Garden (the show is double cast-this is a review of the "Idealists" ensemble) captures all of the work's subtlety and complex characterization, along with its constant prickly wit, but most of all it displays a wry affection and empathy for Hellman's characters, who are striving to fix their lives before they feel the chill intimations of the final season's approach."
Stage and Cinema
- Somewhat Recommended
"...Frankly, my dear, I was not overwhelmed. Here was an ensemble of very good actors, each perfectly cast, saying the lines Lillian wrote, "playing" the play. And yet the play stubbornly refused to come to life. One could hear, every so often, why Lillian was so impressed by her own writing, but, more often than not, one couldn't help but ponder upon the fact that, perhaps, the audiences in 1951 were right to resist the play, despite the high quality of Lillian's writing. It was sluggish and aimless. And my only reaction, after three long hours, was "Goodness gracious, am I really going to have to sit through this again' What have I committed myself to'" It wasn't, let me make absolutely clear, a bad evening of theater. I was truly happy to have finally seen a production of the play. "
EyeSpyLA
- Highly Recommended
"...In a city obsessed with youth, where growing old gracefully is more a vice than a virtue, The Antaeus Company's double-cast revival of Lillian Hellman's frank, Chekhovian masterpiece concerning the immutability of middle-age is a sensational tour de force championed by both veteran casts. Considered by Ms. Hellman as her "most satisfying play," these productions are just that, immensely satisfying-one feels a sort of languor afterwards, much like the languid desperation of Hellman's characters fending off the autumn of their days."
Stage Scene LA
- Highly Recommended
"...I give both casts of The Autumn Garden my highest recommendation, and though most playgoers will likely opt to see one or the other, true theater lovers can do themselves no greater favor this autumn than to catch both the Dreamers and the Idealists. The opportunity to see a rarely staged Lillian Hellman play is not to be passed up, and to be able to see it twice, and performed so exquisitely by two very different groups of actors, is a rare theatrical treat indeed. "
StageHappenings.com
- Recommended
"...Each production is further delineated by tone where the one cast has people who are walking dead while the other cast must learn to face the bitter truth as the play progresses. The one cast (designated the "Dreamers") is made up of Rhonda Aldrich, Dawn Didawick, Kurtwood Smith, Josh Zuckerman, Eve Gordon, Jeanne Syquia, Saundra McClain, Jeffrey Nordling, Kitty Swink, and Susan Boyd Joyce. The other cast (" Idealists") is made up of Faye Grant, Anne Gee Byrd, James Surtorius, Stoney Westmoreland, Jeanie Hackett, Zoe Perry, Sandra McClain (again), Stephen Caffrey, Jane Kaczmarek, and Reba Waters. I really enjoyed seeing both casts not only because this company has so many talented members but also because the process, the double casting, heightened my enjoyment of the play."
CurtainUp
- Recommended
"...The two casts, called Dreamers and Idealists, held alternate opening nights last week-end, of which I attended only the Idealists. The tiny Deaf West Theatre was transformed by scenic designer Tom Buderwitz into the parlor and porch of the Tuckerman home. Brocade sofas and chairs are strategically placed beneath carved ceilings. Stained glass windows are indicated. On one side a glass door separates the parlor from a porch with a ballustraded railing. The clever blocking by director Larry Biederman overcomes the narrowness of the small set."
The Tolucan Times
- Highly Recommended
"...The Autumn Garden by Lillian Hellman is a reflective piece from the foremost playwright of our time, having authored The Children's Hour, The Little Foxes and Toys in the Attic, among many others. Hellman, however, considers The Autumn Garden to be her best work and the one she enjoyed writing the most. Reminiscent of Chevkov, this three-hour play leisurely evolves to reveal seven old friends in the autumn of their lives, trying to sort out the truth of their existence through finely nuanced performances, and takes place in the guesthouse of a former mansion outside of New Orleans."
Socal
- Highly Recommended
"...Antaeus provides a full double cast for every show, in an attempt to ensure that performers stay sharp, and create an environment of collaboration among company members as well. This, combined with sharp music cues and a beautiful and innovative set meant two different powerhouse nights of theatre. While both casts were wonderful, they each offered very different experiences in the small black box theatre."
Will Call
- Highly Recommended
"...This ensemble, under the admirable direction of Larry Biederman, is pitch perfect. There's not a wasted gesture or expression. And so believable are they, one cannot imagine anyone else in their roles, which is ironic because the show is double-cast and the one you're going to see will surely be equally accomplished."
Frontiers
- Highly Recommended
"...Enough cannot be said about Tom Buderwitz's gorgeous set, which establishes the necessary playing spaces with depth and levels, defying the restrictions of the intimate Deaf West space. All of the production elements are top-notch, in fact, with the exception of the jarring music in between scenes, which seems disconnected from the wistful goings-on that are so sensitively brought to life by Biederman and his capable casts."
