Review: PREVIEWS OF DEPARTING ATTRACTIONS - A Theatrical Breath Of Fresh Air At Austin Playhouse

There is something to be said about plays that are purely theatrical. They invite audiences to use their imagination and entertain us on an entirely different level than most other plays. Lowell Bartholomee's new work, PREVIEWS OF DEPARTING ATTRACTIONS is a theatrical breath of fresh air during our stifling August heat.

Presented at Austin Playhouse's beautiful new West Campus location, Bartholomee's script, or scripts I should say, are highly entertaining, running the emotional gamut from belly laughs to choking sobs. The play itself is actually ten different plays and on a variety of topics. The writing reminded me fondly of David Ives' ALL IN THE TIMING, a personal favorite. All roles played by a stellar ensemble cast of 7; every segment is superbly witty dialogue and familiar situations. From a job interview to astronauts landing on the moon PREVIEWS OF DEPARTING ATTRACTIONS perfectly targets humanity and makes the audience laugh, cry and gently think. The cohesive theme throughout the show is the way we experience change and loss, and is icertainly topical after the pandemic years.

I had several favorites among the stage performances and videos. ONE SMALL STEP, a brilliantly done video finds Neil Armstrong (Zac Carr) and Buzz Aldrin (Kareem Badar) hilariously debate the first words to be spoken when stepping on the lunar surface. Another favorite was SMILEY, a story of man's best friend played wonderfully by David DuBose. I won't go into detail, but everyone will feel the emotional impact of this segment. The entire cast is fantastic and Bartholomee's writing, directing and videos are superb. But I want to take a moment to mention Austin Playhouse's glorious new venue.

Located in the West Campus of The University of Texas just off The Drag on West 22nd Street, this new space is amazing! On the second floor of the Texas Sigma Delta Tau house, the theatre is a lovely proscenium stage with comfortable seating and plenty of room. This isn't one of the regular Austin converted spaces, in typical Austin Playhouse style, this new location is clearly a cut above. The entire organization deserves high praise for their new, if temporary, home.

I hope you'll go see PREVIEWS OF DEPARTING ATTRACTIONS at Austin Playhouse's West Campus venue. You will enjoy every moment as much as I did.

PREVIEWS OF DEPARTING ATTRACTIONS

by Lowell Bartholomee

Austin Playhouse West Campus

405 West 22nd Street, Austin

August 5 - 20

Running Time: 1 and a half hours with no intermission.

Tickets: $15 - $36 https://www.austinplayhouse.com/previews

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