"RECOMMENDED ... In Kyra Lewandowski's explosive production ... Michelle Lilly O'Brien's set perfectly suggests decay, while the cast deftly capture Shepard's mix of heightened realism, black comedy, and scenery-demolishing violence."
"New Leaf, continuing its string of solid enactments of challenging plays ... navigates a powerful, cogent production ... Victoria Gilbert's feminine and bitter Ella is darkly entertaining, and a formidable John Gray shrewdly modulates the long windup and devastating pitch of Weston's alcoholic rage"
"... [the] charged performances and palpable pathos are riveting. Gruff, frightening, volatile, drunk and large enough to be dangerous, ... [John] Gray's performance is absolutely phenomenal ... this production really is excellent."
"There is a lot of important information that is left unsaid in Curse, leaving the audience unsettled and probing in the dark. Lewandowski and her team understand this critical aspect - they know to close doors as they open windows."
Under one splintering roof in the desolation of the California desert, four lone wolves try to pull themselves up by bootstraps that keep breaking, seeking to escape the prisons they've constructed in Sam Shepard's blistering exploration of family, disease, and the possibility of change. Curse of the Starving Class marks Artist-in-Residence Kyra Lewandowski's directorial debut, as she helms this presentation of a script recently revised in honor of the play's 30th anniversary.
Find out more about Curse of The Starving Class on our blog, with updates and stories from the company, cast and crew.
New Leaf gratefully acknowledges the financial support of the Gaylord & Dorothy Donnelly Foundation, The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, and the Mid-North Association. This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency.
