Raves for "This Beautiful City"!

Wow. It's REALLY wonderful to read criticism that appreciates your work, but it's much better when the critics UNDERSTAND it and express it in cogent language.

I said months ago that I thought This Beautiful City is the most important work I've ever done as a theatre artist. We knew we were working on a special project, and we quickly grew to realize that it was a special company of artists putting it together. While I always tell my actors when I direct that "We don't do shows for critics and we don't take notes from them," I have to acknowledge that it is gratifying to have your work understood and appreciated. All three reviewers thus far have really grokked what we are doing. That's really special.

Come out and see the show, y'all. I guarantee that it will make you think long and hard about a lot of your foundational philosophies, but not in a painful or judgmental way. What may surprise you is that this is also one of the funnniest darn shows I've ever been involved with.

This Beautiful City runs through February 5. Adam Mincks will be playing my roles for the final weekend. You should come see me, then come back to see Adam.

Editorial note: I've taken to copying-and-pasting full reviews into my blog because you never know when a publication is going to change their web server and erase years' worth of archives (*cough cough* Style Weekly and the Richmond Times-Dispatch *cough cough*). I hope no one is offended at the pseudo-copyright-infringement, and I have of course linked to each referenced article.