THE UNEXPECTED MAN: 57% Bittersweet – UPDATED

BITTER
I wish I could say that the play’s culmination is worth the investment of the slow buildup or that the enjoyment of art, as life, is in the journey, but on this ride, I would have gotten off around Reims.
Joel Elkins – LA Theatre Review

BITTER
If the above sounds hardly the recipe for gripping theater, then sadly there is no need to think again. Despite the presence of the luminous Judy Jean Berns, Yasmina Reza’s The Unexpected Man proves an unexpectedly dull hour and a half of rambling monologs, precisely the kind of “Art” Reza made the object of ridicule in her sparkling comedy of the same name.To do The Unexpected Man justice, it should be noted that the New Yorker described it as “artful,” the New York Daily News called Reza’s writing “subtle” and “touching,” and the New York Post dubbed it “an elegant, witty little play.” StageSceneLA found it mostly long-winded and boring.
Steven Stanley – StageSceneLA

SWEET
In a quiet, unnoticed theatre in Hollywood The Unexpected Man by Yasmina Reza was an unexpected delight. With a cast of two and a French writer, the odds were high this would be an artsy bore for a common reviewer like me. However, the poignant acting of Judy Jean Berns as a reluctant optimist and Ronald Hunter as a dedicated pessimist worked.
Sharon Woods – Socal.com

SWEET
Directed with sensitivity by David Robinson, and taking place on an effectively sparse set designed by Chrystal Lee, “The Unexpected Man” holds the audience’s rapt attention for 90 minutes.
Bea Wolff – Tolucan Times

SWEET
But the play is not just an actor’s showcase. David Robinson’s direction is smooth and nicely paced, and Chrystal Lee’s minimalist set maintains its cosmopolitan feel. Even the train seats are symbolic of the characters’ personalities: dull, grey vinyl for Parksy; a rich, smooth red velvet for Martha. And these three qualities—acting, direction, and scenic design—make The Unexpected Man a memorable train ride towards theatrical excellence.
Peter A. Balaskas – LASplash

SWEET
They first acknowledge each other in their respective imaginations before eventually speaking to each other directly. Even when in conversation, it is beautifully unclear (deftly shaped by director David Robinson) whether their exchange ist actually occurring just in their minds. Chrystal Lee’s set emphasizes the distinctive isolation of each world, and the uncredited montage of images that roll by slowly on two upstage screens offers subtle but powerful punctuation to the play’s themes.
Luis Reyes – LA Weekly

BITTERSWEET
It’s a strange, sometimes fascinating play—quiet, low-key, with little external incident—which relies on meticulous performances to hold our interest. Both characters are complex and idiosyncratic, and under David Robinson’s deft direction, the actors skillfully explore the nuances of their unspoken relationship. Hunter plays a craggy, articulate sophisticate whose ego is tickled by his encounter with an ardent fan, but he self-protectively keeps his distance. Berns is an elegant romantic, whose passions are restrained—but who recognizes that, in different circumstances, the Man might have played a major role in her life. The ending offers an elegiac suggestion of what might have been. The performances are almost interesting enough to make us forget the bloodlessness of the play.
Neal Weaver – Backstage

BITTER
However, I struggled with the performances. Hunter, already playing a sulky character, was monotone in his delivery, lacking versatility in his choices for his character. You loose interest in him rather quickly. Berns was better; yet their chemistry was hard to believe. The set design by Chrystal Lee, although minimalist, had a very warm and open feel to it. Still, the two panels in the background projecting images throughout the play were a distraction and used to overcompensate for the weak performances. As a theatre enthusiast, it is disappointing to see great potential fall short.
Ximena Herschberg – Campus Circle

Lounge Theatre 2 is located at 6201 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles. For more information, visit plays411.net.