‘Old Times’ Brings New Dimension to APT
Theater Review
Directed by the Milwaukee Rep's Laura Gordon, Old Times focuses on an evening with Deeley (Jonathan Smoots, Gordon's husband) and Kate (Tracy Michelle Arnold), a couple who receive a visit from Kate's old college friend Anna (Carey Cannon). Almost immediately time and memory warp as the characters remember and relive experiences differently, engaging in a sometimes cruel dance that isolates each in his or her own turn. Repeated references to Odd Man Out, the 1947 British film noir classic, reinforces the obvious point.
Gordon holds a tight yet fluid rein on her actors, all of whom deliver intense and intensely different performances. Fans of APT's high-flown Shakespearean antics may find Old Times cerebral and unsettling, but the Touchstone's intimacy allows the actors to give subtler, nuanced performances. The result is a fascinating new fold in APT's dramatic fabric.



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