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‘Tuesdays With Morrie’ at Theatre in the Square
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
THEATER REVIEW: “Tuesdays With Morrie.� Through Nov. 14.
Morrie Schwartz, the irascible philosopher at the center of Mitch Albom's stupendously successful memoir, knows a thing or two about the joy of life and the inevitability of death, about dancing the tango and the fox trot, about love and forgiveness, about Ted Turner’s megalomania and Ted Koppel's hair.
Albom, a Detroit Free Press sportswriter, sat with his old Brandeis University sociology teacher as he lay dying of Lou Gehrig's disease and recorded the old man's whimsical philosophy. A consistent New York Times best seller since 1997, “Tuesdays With Morrie� has been made into a TV movie and a play, which is getting its first Atlanta production at Marietta's Theatre in the Square.
“Morrie� is relentlessly optimistic, and sappy to a fault. But thanks in no small part to playwright Jeffrey Hatcher's sure-footed adaptation, Susan Reid’s expert direction and the heart-melting work of David Milford (Morrie) and David Marshall Silverman (Mitch), the show overcomes its sentimental veneer to become a rich, rewarding and insightful evening of theater.
Even the most hardhearted cynics will be reduced to puddles.
Milford, who has a long and impressive résumé as one of the city's hardest-working actors, nails the part of the indefatigable Morrie. With his receding, snow-white hairline and nervous tremor, Morrie attacks death with wit.
“My funeral was last week,� he deadpans to Mitch. (Seems he arranged a “living� eulogy so he could enjoy it.) “If I get reincarnated, I want to come back as a gazelle!� he shouts near the end.
When the conversation turns to Turner's attempt to buy CBS, Morrie exclaims, “He doesn't need a network! He needs a hug!�
Morrie, you see, is unafraid to express physical affection or to cry like a baby. He urges the ambitious, overachieving Mitch to find inner peace, to be as human as he can be and to forgive all grievances — even if the other person is 100 percent wrong. “Let it go.�
Silverman gives a winning performance as the workaholic transformed by his mentor’s philosophy of selflessness. Ultimately, Mitch’s uptight exterior is cracked wide open by Morrie’s infinite generosity and compassion.
A tale about how friendship can be an antidote to loneliness, “Tuesdays With Morrie� is, after a fashion, a love story. We know that when Morrie tells his young soul mate and surrogate son: “I like myself better when I'm with you.�
Albom likes to say his reunion with the man he called “Coach� after a 16-year absence was like returning to class for a final lesson. Theatre in the Square earns extra credit for handling Albom's labor of love with such gentleness and sensitivity.
Milford and Marshall are menschen made in heaven. “Tuesdays With Morrie� gets an A.
THE VERDICT: It’s soooo sweet. A three-hankie performance.
8 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays; 2:30 and 7 p.m. Sundays (no 7 p.m. show Nov. 14). Also 2:30 p.m. Nov. 10. Through Nov. 14. $18-$32. Theatre in the Square, 11 Whitlock Ave., Marietta. 770-422-8369, www.theatreinthesquare.com.
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By Elisama Colon
October 11, 2004 4:55 PM | Link to this
‘Tuesdays with Morrie’ was so important to me. I had never read the book or seen the movie. Everyone can enjoy this show. It touches a heart in all the right ways. I took an incredible knowledge from it about life, living, dying, and attitudes. I feel a much better person having seen this play. So, thanks and congradulations to the production staff, the actors, and especially the director! you guys really made all the difference in the world. if you havent seen it GO WATCH IT!