Brandon, I could say “Next Fall” was great. But I am here to give my truthful opinion. Most movies and plays I see are mediocre. Some are good. Few are great. But know this, when you see that I write something is great, you’ll know it really is great!

Speaking of great, “Avenue Q” at the Horizon Theatre is great! If it features the same cast it did last year, it rivals the “Avenue Q” national touring company’s production.

Thanks for stopping by, If you like “Next Fall,” feel free to drop by my blog again and say what you liked about it. And if there is something you don’t like about it, feel free to say that too. : )

Which made me realize… What is this??

This is no more a review than me singing 3 of my favorite songs in my living room would be a “caberet.” This is not a reviewer speaking, this is clearly the opinion of a rejected actor.

I will surely see this show. Your poor opinion of it makes me want to see it all the more.

Hey, “press” is press right? But lets be honest… Who takes this opinion seriously? I’d love to know.-

We all cannot agree on what makes something good or bad. To me and my companion, the blank newspaper stood out to both of us, and took us out of our reality. We believed the scene. And then there was a blank newspaper, and for us, it did not work. But it obviously worked well for you.

I have seen the movie a couple of times and saw it on Broadway with Jessica Tandy and Amanda Plummer. I am sure that affects my expectations and experience of the show.

As far as performances go you are dead right about Knezevich and Owen (an actress who has been outstanding again and again, I’m not sure how you’ve missed her). As the leads in this show, they carry it exquisitely and it’s hard to imagine ever seeing another Tom or Amanda quite live up. However, you either must have seen a completely different performance from Lind than I did or your “view” must be obstructed by something of which I am unaware. Her scene with Smith (who you almost failed to mention as a delightful “gentleman caller”) was the most beautiful and heartbreaking I have ever seen from this over-done and normally clumsily done scene. Having read the script multiple times, I will remind you that Williams himself said that Laura’s “limp” was to only be merely suggested by the actress. And as for the unicorn moment, Lind’s choice to be so swept away by the “caller” so much so that the unicorn no longer matters, makes absolute (and far more than one-dimensional or predictable) sense. Consequently, the ending of the scene is all that much more devastating as well. Smith and Lind have such chemistry and are so specific in their playing of this scene that I found myself rooting for them from a deeper place than I even realized I had invested.

But HERE is the main reason I can no longer take the time to read your opinions: the blank newspaper. Like the empty plates, the father sometimes appearing sometimes not, the grey costumes and set and furniture – the newspaper is also one of those blurred and unspecific memories. It is a memory play “it is not realistic” and under Richard Garner’s beautiful direction (another strikingly obvious omission from your review) we are able to see what Tom sees. Some of our memories are grey, dull, blank while others are so vivid and bright they feel right with us, until we are able to “blow our candles out” on them — so to speak. If you could not gain that from your viewing of this heartbreaking play which we Atlantans will be remembering for a long time to come, I wonder if you saw the same play the rest of us did.

We have to understand that in this business we talk to different audiences. The different audiences that we encounter, we have to meet them where they are and speak to them in the language (style) that they speak. As an Inspirational Dramatist, I understand this as I speak to young people (teenagers and young adults) about “hoodism.” But I also connect, relate and speak to the educated as well. We have to become all things to all people when it comes to communing, connecting and relating with people.

When he mentioned “rap songs” and their effect on people, he didn’t say all rap, he said some rap and he is absolutely correct. Some rap has a negative effect on our younger generation. Some rap (very little) is positive.

I appreciate his message. I’m sorry I missed his visit to Atlanta.

Thank you,

Kind regards,

Melanie