TOO MUCH SUN
By Nicky Silver
Directed by Mark Brokaw
with Ken Barnett, Richard Bekins, Matt Dellapina, Matt Dickson, Linda Lavin, JENNIFER WESTFELDT
In TOO MUCH SUN, Audrey Langham – a celebrated actress – unravels completely while preparing for a new production of MEDEA. With nowhere else to go, she descends upon her married daughter for a summer by the sea. She is not, however, greeted with confetti and champagne. Her arrival sets off a chain of events alternately hilarious and harrowing. This stirring story of an unforgettable summer reunites playwright Nicky Silver, director Mark Brokaw and Tony Award-winning actress Linda Lavin following their acclaimed collaboration on THE LYONS and its subsequent Broadway transfer.
PHOTO ABOVE: Nicky Silver. Photo by Jordan Hollender. PHOTO BELOW: Linda Lavin
Artists
Jennifer Westfeldt
Jennifer Westfeldt (Kitty) made her Broadway debut in Wonderful Town, directed by Kathleen Marshall, for which she received a Tony nomination, a Theater World Award and a Drama League Award. Her recent stage work includes the world premieres of Scott Z. Burns’ THE LIBRARY at The Public Theater, directed by Stephen Soderbergh, Nell Benjamin’s THE EXPLORERS CLUB at Manhattan Theater Club, directed by Marc Bruni, Cusi Cram’s A LIFETIME BURNING at Primary Stages, directed by Pam MacKinnon, Joe Gilford’s FINKS at The Powerhouse Theater/NYSAF, directed by Charlie Stratton, and Stephen Belber’s THE POWER OF DUFF at The Powerhouse Theater, directed by Peter Dubois. An actress and filmmaker, Jennifer Westfeldt is perhaps best known for writing and starring in the indie films Kissing Jessica Stein (Indie Spirit Nomination, Golden Satellite Award, multiple Audience Awards), Ira & Abby (Best Actress/HBO Comedy Festival, multiple Audience Awards), and 2012’s Friends With Kids (Top Ten Films of 2012, New York Magazine, NPR), which also marked her directorial debut. Recent television credits include “Girls,” “24,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Notes From the Underbelly,” and “Children’s Hospital.”
Reviews
“CRITICS’ PICK! AN UNCONDITIONAL TREAT! LINDA LAVIN IS AT THE VERY TOP OF HER GAME! SHE IS REMARKABLE.
Jennifer Westfeldt is terrific. Mr. Silver is a dramatist with an original and thoroughly sustained tragicomic worldview. He gives the cast the generous gift of speaking beautifully, in epigrams and winged barbs and poetic soliloquies that cascade like a Schubert impromptu.”
– Ben Brantley, The New York Times
“LAVIN IS PRICELESS!
She is in a class by herself, at once monstrously funny and absurdly human.
Don’t even ask how she does it. Her comic mastery remains a mystery.”
– Marilyn Stasio, Variety
“LINDA LAVIN SHINES BRIGHTLY IN ‘TOO MUCH SUN’!
She is terrific. Jennifer Westfeldt is excellent.”
– Jocelyn Noveck, Associated Press
★ ★ ★ ★ “CHEERS!
All the Silver trademarks are here, but they emerge fresh in Mark Brokaw’s smart, delicate staging.”
– David Cote, Time Out New York
“WE CAN’T GET ENOUGH OF THE DAZZLING LINDA LAVIN IN ‘TOO MUCH SUN’!
Nicky Silver’s latest lets her pull out all the stops.”
– Frank Scheck, NY Post
“HILARIOUS AND HEARTBREAKING!
Under Brokaw’s steady direction, this solid ensemble registers powerful performances. The show floats along on Silver’s considerable wit and the cast’s ability to deliver it with flawless timing.”
– Zachary Stewart, Theatermania
“SHARPLY DIRECTED BY MARK BROKAW!
Lavin masterfully blends Audrey’s contradictions into a shimmering portrait of a life in flux.”
– Matthew Murray, Talkin’ Broadway
“LAVIN AT HER MOST HILARIOUS!
Too Much Sun benefits from director Mark Brokaw’s smooth direction.”
– Elyse Sommer, Curtain Up
★ ★ ★ ★ “ONE OF MR. SILVER’S FUNNIEST PLAYS TO DATE!
Director Mark Brokaw extracts outstanding performances from the gifted ensemble. Linda Lavin is wonderfully acerbic. Jennifer Westfeldt gives a poignant portrayal of Kitty.
– Scott Harrah, Stagezine.com
“STUNNING! ‘TOO MUCH SUN’ SHINES BRIGHTLY! LAVIN DELIVERS A TOP-NOTCH PERFORMANCE, THE NEW THEATER SEASON’S FINEST.
The actress uses every bullet in her arsenal, from her martini-dry delivery of a putdown to the perfect raised eyebrow to her still-superb singing voice, and hits bulls-eye after bulls-eye. Mark Brokaw provides sure-handed direction.”
– Brian Scott Lipton, Cititour.com