Managing Maxine

Herself and I went to the Alliance Theatre yesterday afternoon to see Managing Maxine. This production is the world premiere of a work written by Atlanta's own Janece Shaffer. We enjoyed dinner with Janece and her husband in August, and it was a great pleasure to see the finished work after hearing about its origin and evolution. I do not agree with the AJC's tepid review, and would encourage anyone in town to see this show.

The show is full of well painted personalities. It is multi-generational, but the truths about relationships cross all age barriers. I believe that Janece wanted us to leave the theatre more in love with our spouse and believing more in the possibilities of love, and she accomplished that. MA & I agreed that the whole show was really about acceptance. Once a couple truly accepts each other, they can have real intimacy.

The set was open, portraying the living spaces of three of the characters and the lighting was used to move from scene to scene. It worked well as we followed conversations between daughter and mother while seeing both.

The cell phone usage and conversational speech gave a very genuine feel to the entire production. We heard the actors in AfterTalk after the show and they talked about how their own experiences contributed to their performances. We felt that during the show.

We laughed and we cried; what more can you ask for from a couple of hours in the dark?