![\"Robert](\"http:\/\/itsnotaboutme.tv\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/DDBS0054-copy-21-e1499312777794.jpg\")
<\/a>Robert Standley and Tanna Frederick. Photo by Ed Krieger, as is the big one at the top of the page.<\/p><\/div>\n
So this one was a wonderful surprise to me. First of all, Danny and the Deep Blue Sea<\/em> is very short\u2014just an hour. I didn\u2019t even realize the end was the end\u2014it was over so abruptly. But I was grateful for that, because, from the action of the rest of the play, I was expecting a horrible end, which might have happened if the narrative had continued.<\/p>\n I wouldn\u2019t call this two-character play a comedy, exactly, but don\u2019t be afraid to laugh. I felt my fellow opening week-end audience members were a bit too timid in that area. I believe it\u2019s billed as \u201ca romance,\u201d which it is, of sorts. It\u2019s also partly an intense psychological drama. Let\u2019s just say that there\u2019s a lot going on in the entire scenario.<\/p>\n Right from the get-go, the set design and wardrobe set the scene perfectly. And it goes from there. I was actually engaged the entire time. And it helped that the two actors, Tanna Frederick and Robert Standley, (who reminded me so much of Springsteen,) are perfect for their roles. (But I wish that Tanna had not played with her hair so often during the show\u2014she kept taking it down and putting it up and pulling on the sides; enough already. That bit of action was far from important for the character, and it seemed like the actress<\/em> was doing it, not the character<\/em>.)<\/p>\n Since I never tell you the story of a play, so that you can just watch it unfold for yourselves, there\u2019s not much else to say about this one. There\u2019s nothing to criticize, and it\u2019s all good. (At the end, I said to my friend, \u201cWell, that was short and sweet.\u201d And a beat later, we both said at the same time, \u201cIt wasn\u2019t sweet<\/em>.\u201d)<\/p>\n Robert Standley and Tanna Frederick. Photo by Ed Krieger,<\/p><\/div>\n This rendition of Danny and the Deep Blue Sea<\/em> is entertaining: the story is interesting and different, the performances are spot-on, the direction (by Rocky<\/em> actor, Carl Weathers) makes it all move, and the set is exactly perfect, especially for the small space. (This show is in the smaller theatre in the Edgemar Center. But that\u2019s good because the noise of the creepy eatery next door doesn\u2019t spill through the walls on that side of the edifice.) It\u2019s a perfect summer\u2019s day or evening\u2019s entertainment, especially paired with the happening Santa Monica area, which I heavily suggest you explore before or after the show. (Or both<\/em>!)<\/p>\n And I really want to give a big shout-out to the sweet young blonde British girl who greets everyone as we pick-up our tickets. She\u2019s consistently upbeat, and totally helpful. Personnel like that always makes any<\/em> experience so much more pleasant.<\/p>\n Danny and the Deep Blue Sea<\/em> running through September 10, 2017<\/strong> DANNY AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA When I first got invited to a local production of this John Patrick Shanley play, I had no idea that it had been around for almost as long as I have! (It\u2019s actually the second play that he wrote, out of twenty-four.) So, the entire experience was new to<\/p>\n<\/a>
\n Edgemar Center for the Arts \u00a02437 Main St. \u00a0Santa Monica \u00a0310-392-7327 www.edgemarcenter.org<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"