Click here to read the entire review:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/11/19/entertainment/e154848S60.DTL
Horton Foote: ‘Home' at Last
Terry Teachout, WALL STREET JOURNAL
"Horton Foote, who died in March at the age of 92, had to wait until the very end of his life to win general recognition as one of America's greatest playwrights. The tide was turned by a sterling pair of Off-Broadway revivals, the Signature Theatre Company's 2005 production of "The Trip to Bountiful" and Primary Stages' 2007 production of "Dividing the Estate," that opened the eyes of a new generation of theatergoers to Foote's low-key mastery. When "Dividing the Estate" transferred to Broadway the following year, he scored his first commercial success on the New York stage-just in time for him to revel in it. Would that Foote could have lived to attend the New York opening of the first part of "The Orphans' Home Cycle," co-produced by Signature and Connecticut's Hartford Stage, where all three installments were seen earlier this year. It will, I suspect, be remembered as the most significant theatrical event of the season, the kind of show you tell your grandchildren you saw."
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http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704782304574541813891284086.html
Horton Foote, Tarell Alvin McCraney tell family stories
Linda Winer, NEWSDAY
"The first three of Horton Foote's last nine plays have his customary ease, elegance and deceptive simplicity. This is straightforward storytelling, inspired by the life of the playwright's father. It is mostly set in the playwright's favorite hometown surrogate, the fictionAl Harrison, Texas, and features, in a number of roles, his daughter and worthy flame keeper, Hallie Foote.
This part of the cycle begins in 1902, when Horace Robedaux, 12, (an astonishingly poised Dylan Riley Snyder) endures the death of his kind but alcoholic father and the realization that his mother's new husband will only support Horace's bratty sister Lily Dale. The evening ends in 1910, after Horace (the engaging Bill Heck) has endured a Dickensian series of picaresque affronts. Twenty-two actors play multiple roles under Michael Wilson's loving direction."
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http://www.newsday.com/columnists/linda-winer/horton-foote-tarell-alvin-mccraney-tell-family-stories-1.1603151
The Orphans' Home Cycle: Part 1
An American Classic Begins
David Cote, TIME OUT NEW YORK
"Five stars (out of five). Director Michael Wilson and his versatile, highly talented ensemble (including the radiant Hallie Foote, the late author's daughter) wrestle their material into shape, delivering three hours of episodic narrative spanning 1902 to 1910 without a dull moment. Two more parts of this trilogy remain, and we shall see if Horace fnds his place in the world. Foote's understated epic is an authentic American classic about the birth pangs of the 20th century. It's told with humor, deep sadness and great writerly craft. I can't wait to see what happens next."
Click here to read the entire review:
http://newyork.timeout.com/articles/theater/80791/the-orphans-home-cycle-part-1-theater-review
The Orphans' Home Cycle: Part 1 - The Story of a Childhood
Melissa Rose Bernardo, ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY
"Happiness is illusory and joy fleeting, but there's much melancholy beauty to be found in The Story of a Childhood, the first third of the late Horton Foote's nine-play Orphans Home Cycle at Off Broadway's Signature Theatre Company.
With its tales of harsh times, social and economic change, Reconstruction, education, and industry in small-town America, The Story of a Childhood heralds the beginning of something extraordinary. And you'll be waiting with baited breath for Foote's next chapter. Grade: A-"
Click here to read the entire review:
http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20321559,00.html
THE ORPHANS' HOME CYCLE was recently extended by popular demand for an additional three weeks through Sunday, March 28. Tickets are on sale now through www.signaturetheatre.org and at the Signature box office.
