Following its critically acclaimed, sold out run in London’s West End, All That Fall has now come to New York City. The show, originally commissioned by the BBC as a radio play, was first broadcast in 1957. The premise is set in rural Ireland and tells the tale of Mrs. Rooney, struggling with age on her way to meet her blind husband at the train station. She meets quite a few characters on her journey, but nothing compares to the chilling ending of the show. Starring British legends Eileen Atkins and Michael Gambon, All That Fall offers a comedic and at times tragic perspective on loss, grief and old age.
Although Samuel Beckett’s original script was for a radio show, director Trevor Nunn adapted it well for the theater. Presented in an intimate theater at 59E59 Theaters, All That Fall focused on acting rather than set design or props. Eileen Atkins’ sassy character is fun to watch, while Gambon’s is a tad frightening. Mrs. Rooney’s journey throughout the show takes turns being both comedic and tragic, with the ultimate realization that Mr. Rooney may or may not be a murderer. We will never know. The show is the perfect blend of sorrow and amusement…building upon the foundation that sometimes things seem so grim all you have left to do is laugh.
Eileen Atkins and Michael Gambon are joined in the Off Broadway production by Ruairi Conaghan, Frank Grimes, Trevor Cooper, Billy Carter, James Hayes, and Catherine Cusack. The show is running for a limited time until December 8th, 2013, with ticket prices at $70.
59E59 Theaters are located at 59 E. 59th Street.
Photos by Carol Rosegg.
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