Theater Review: 'Estimated Time of Arrival'

by Judd Hollander Special to The Epoch Times

http://en.epochtimes.com/news/7-1-30/51044.html

All relationships take work, from before the first bloom of love appears to the struggle to keeping a marriage fresh and alive. Such is the territory traveled in Estimated Time of Arrival, billed as "a timetable of love lost, found or otherwise disrupted." This 80-minute evening of five stories (told by four different writers-Amy Fox, Lisa Ebersole, Anthony Minghella and Michael Weller) explores the trials and travails that go into dating, connecting, and what's required to stay together once you've found someone.

A talented cast (Jamie Proctor, Reese Madigan, Ethan James Duff and Sarah Megan Thomas) ably bring the stories to life; just about all of which (especially Fox's "Double Click," regarding looking for love via the Internet) could be expanded into full-length works. The most focused of the group is Weller's "Split Part One," about "the perfect couple" suddenly finding there's trouble in paradise-due to the lack of real communication between them. The most poignant piece is Minghella's "Hang Up," which heartbreakingly details the struggles of maintaining a long distance relationship. Filling out the evening are works about two people who run into each other at a coffee shop, and a former couple who meet five years after their breakup.

Estimated Time of Arrival works because it presents situations that everyone who has ever been in a relationship can understand—such as being awakened from a deep sleep by a call from one's love, the awkwardness of a first meeting, and perhaps most telling of all, wondering how much of oneself to reveal on that first date. Strong dialogue and sharp direction (the latter by Drew Decorleto) keeps the pieces moving smoothly. Chances are you'll find yourself nodding in rueful, wistful (or perhaps painful) understanding in at least a few of the situations presented on stage.

Estimated Time of Arrival
Presented by Thirteenth Night Theatre Company
Urban Stages Theatre
259 West 30th Street
Tickets: 212-868-4444 or www.smarttix.com