Lauren Lane
in DINNER WITH FRIENDS
Novermber 10, 2000 - January 7, 2001
Berkeley Repertory Theatre
Berkeley, California
Berkeley Repertory Theatre
Berkeley, California
"Dinner With Friends" is a Pulitzer Prize winning play written by Donald Margulies. It's about two couples who have been close friends for years and are suddenly torn apart by infidelity.
Lauren Lane played the part of Karen who is married to
Tom, (Bill Geisslinger). Their friends are Beth, (Lorri Holt)
and Gabe, (Dan Hiatt).
One night as Karen and Tom are regaling Beth with stories about their recent trip, Beth couldn't hold it in any longer. Through her tears she explains why Gabe wasn't there for the dinner. Her husband was leaving her because of another woman. This shocks Karen and Tom to their toes. And we watch as they come to grips with their friends' marriage falling apart.
Now for my review...
I spent the first few moments of the play trying to get use to seeing Lauren Lane again. I kept noticing things about her and comparing how she was doing this character to the way she did CC. The characters were vastly different.
Karen was someone I could really identify with. Her and her husband had two boys and they enjoyed going on trips together. Their life centered around each other and sharing meals with their friends.
The way her and her husband interacted with one another, the rapid fire, fill-in-for-each-other story telling that couples do, was very entertaining. And the dramatic moments they shared was thought provoking. Karen wanted to cast Gabe from their lives, while Tom wanted to stick with his friend in his time of need.
There was a lot of 'married couple' things that the four characters brought up/complained about that had my husband and I nudging each other over. And it had moments where it dragged a bit, but all in all it was good. I liked it.
Outside the theatre were two large posters of Lauren Lane. Unfortunately, I didn't have the foresight to take pictures of them. (Sometimes I can be two aces short of a deck.) But luckily the same can't be said for Denise. I'd like to thank her for sharing these with us.
I know I really appreciate it!
The two photos above are shots of Lauren Lane with
the actor who plays her husband Tom, Bill Geisslinger.
The other one is a scene with Lauren Lane comforting
her best friend Beth, the actress, Lorri Holt.
