More Theater Monday - Ode to the Wasp Woman

We were given complimentary tickets to Ode to the Wasp Woman for review purposes. Any and all opinions expressed here are our own

What: Ode to the Wasp Woman

Where: Actor's Temple Theatre 

             339 W. 47th St.

             New York, NY 

Who: Recommended for Ages 16 and Up

When: Now closing November 30, 2023

Ode to a Wasp Woman is a play that delves into the final days and tragic ends of four B movie stars of the 1950s. They are Carl Switzer, who played Alfalfa in the Our Gang shorts (which later became known as the Little Rascals), George Reeves, who played Superman on TV, and two lesser-known movie actresses, Susan Cabot and Barbara Payton. While the premise is interesting, the play itself is less so. 

For one thing, it might have been better if the playwright tried to cover only one or two of these actor's stories in one play rather than all four. Although the play is quite long, especially for one without an intermission, at over two hours, there isn't really enough time devoted to any one character to really get attached to them or care about them or even learn that much about them. That makes it hard to care about the play in general.

The show is not a musical. It is not even billed as a play with music. However, there are several songs in it. These songs don't seem to have anything to do with the plot or advance it in any way. They just slow things down and make the show seem even longer, Even though some of the singing voices are nice, the songs just don't seem necessary.

The acting for the most part is decent with one exception. The most well-known performer in the cast is actress, Sean Young.  Once known for such A list movies as No Way Out, Blade Runner, and Walll Street, Ms. Young hasn't really been seen in a high-profile movie for quite some time. While she does a great job chewing up the scenery in her role of Susan Cabot here, it is unclear why she would choice this disappointing play as her comeback vehicle. It doesn't seem likely that this show is going to be the right one to jumpstart her career assuming that is what she is looking for or do anything for the careers of any of these actors despite their best efforts.

And that's our view. For more about Ode to a Wasp Woman or to purchase tickets, visit waspwomanplay.com.

Tune in tomorrow for Tips for Tuesday.

Photo credits:

All Ode to a Wasp Woman production photos by Maria Baranova

Images used in this post have been sent to us from publicists, artists, and/or  PR firms.
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