The Last Schwartz
“The Last Schwartz is rollicking, sad, shocking, goofy, and thoughtful. It is comic drama firing on all cylinders, a superb work of theater by a playwright in full command of her considerable gift for character and dialogue. …an absolute must-see, a funny, wonderful, rewarding evening of theater.”
“When a new dramatist like Laufer comes along, it is reassuring to think that perhaps the theater still has a future.”
The Last Schwartz is a beautifully crafted new play that weaves hilarity, mystery and loss into a resonant tale about a family's disintegration.”
“The Last Schwartz is rollicking, sad, shocking, goofy, and thoughtful. It is comic drama firing on all cylinders, a superb work of theater by a playwright in full command of her considerable gift for character and dialogue. …an absolute must-see, a funny, wonderful, rewarding evening of theater.”
“When a new dramatist like Laufer comes along, it is reassuring to think that perhaps the theater still has a future.”
The Last Schwartz is a beautifully crafted new play that weaves hilarity, mystery and loss into a resonant tale about a family's disintegration.”
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The Schwartz family is on its last legs. Their father is dead and their Catskills home is up for sale. Norma’s husband hasn’t spoken to her since she turned their 15 year old son in for smoking pot. After five miscarriages it appears Herb’s wife won’t provide him with an heir. Simon has one foot on the moon. Gene’s girlfriend is about to have an abortion. And nobody seems very clear about what it is to be a family anyway.
The Cherry Orchard takes a holiday in the Catskills as the Schwartz family congregates, maybe for the last time, on the one-year anniversary of their father’s death. Cast: NORMA: 45. The eldest Schwartz. The keeper of the flame. Fervently self-righteous and religious, but hungry for family. HERB: 40. The oldest Schwartz brother. Financial wizard. BONNIE: 30’s. Herb’s wife. Generally on the verge of hysteria. Weeps easily. Desperately wants a baby. Has converted to Judaism. SIMON: 35. The middle brother. An Astronomer. Going blind. He wears coke-bottle thick glasses, a very loose-fitting cotton outfit, and white gloves. GENE: 30. The youngest brother. Directs TV commercials. The family’s golden boy and a bit of a kiss-up. KIA: 20. A starlet from L.A. She lives to have fun. Can turn any interaction into a party. Production History:
Florida Stage Manalapan, FL Contemporary American Ttre Fest. Shepherdstown, WV Marin Theatre Mill Valley, CA Florida Studio Theatre Sarasota, FL The Zephyr Theatre LA, CA (8 month run) The Jewish Theatre of the South Dunwoody, GA Harlequin Theatre Olympia, WA CenterStage Theatre Rochester, NY Arizona Jewish Theatre Phoenix, AZ Parade Productions Boca Raton, FL 1/2014 Gloucester Stage Company Gloucester, MA 8/2016 Theatre J Washington, DC, 9/2016 West Coast Jewish Theatre LA, CA, 5/2018 Minnesota Jewish Theatre St. Paul, MN, 10/2018 Orlai Produkcios Iroda Budapest, Hungary, 10/19 Theatre B Moorehead, MN 11/19 New Phoenix Theatre Fort Myers, FL 2/23 |
Some Reviews:
The Last Schwartz is rollicking, sad, shocking, goofy, and thoughtful. It is comic drama firing on all cylinders, a superb work of theater by a playwright in full command of her considerable gift for character and dialogue. It's the hit of the festival and an absolute must-see, a funny, wonderful, rewarding evening of theater.” “The Last Schwartz is that increasingly rare phenomenon in American theater: It has a discernable plot. And that plot revolves around real characters who learn and grow and break things and fix them and that compel the audience to care about them.” http://dzlaufer.com/the-last-schwartz-washington-times.htm The Washington Times by T.L. Ponick --------- “When a new dramatist like Laufer comes along, it is reassuring to think that perhaps the theater still has a future.” “Did you ever wonder what Edward Albee's plays might be like if he had been Jewish? The thought comes to mind watching Deborah Zoe Laufer's The Last Schwartz, a battle royal among a Catskills clan gathered for the Yarzheit memorial of the family patriarch.” In Laufer’s “incendiary drama and wickedly self-deprecating humor . . . she shows herself to be a vital new voice for the theater willing to wade into potentially abrasive waters and skillful enough to cut the sting with laughter.” Palm Beach Post, by Hap Erstein ------------------- “Deborah Zoe Laufer's The Last Schwartz is a beautifully crafted new play that weaves hilarity, mystery and loss into a resonant tale about a family's disintegration.” “The play is about any American family looking uncertainly toward the future . . . Though Laufer's themes are serious, her play is often riotously funny.” The Miami Herald, by Christine Dolen ---------------------- “The Last Schwartz is far and away the most intriguing play to emerge from the Contemporary American Theatre Festival.” “it's especially invigorating when a distinctive voice has the opportunity to rise freshly from the pack. Laufer gets just such a moment with The Last Schwartz.” A “brave examination of the havoc that a transient culture can wreak on the soul.” A “fine balance has been struck between hilarity and pathos.” file:///Users/dzlaufer/Documents/REVIEWS/The%20Last%20Schwartz(washingtonpost_com).htm The Washington Post by Peter Marks -------------- “Anyone who has lived in a family for even a minute will be able to identify with the wackiness and heartbreaks in The Last Schwartz.” Laufer creates “alternately funny and emotional dialogue” Bradenton Herald by Donna Hartman -------------- “Though the surface story fitfully whirls the audience off into bursts of laughter, a traditional undercurrent drives the nails into a deeper drama that questions all tradition and seeks new answers outside the planet earth.” by David Kashimba |
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