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Good For Otto

Good for Otto is playing at the Signature Theatre located at 480 West 42nd Street. It runs three hours with one intermission. It closes on April 1, 2018.

David Rabe is the playwright. He won a Tony Award for Sticky Bone (1972) and was nominated for three Tony Awards for Hurlyburly (1985), Steamers (1977) and The Boom Boom Room (1974).

Derek McLane is the scenic designer. He was nominated for four Tony Awards for Anything Goes (2011), Ragtime (2010), 33 Variations (2009) and Pajama Game (2006).

Jeff Mahshie is the costume designer. He won a Tony Award in 2017 for The Terms of My Surrender.

F. Murray Abraham was nominated for three Drama Desk Awards for It’s Only a Play (2015), A Life in the Theatre (1992) and Teibele the Demon (1980). He won an Academy Award for Amadeus in 1985.

Ed Harris was nominated for a Tony Award and Drama Desk Award for Precious Sons (1986). He was nominated for four Academy Awards for The Hours (2002), Pollock (2000), The Truman Show (1998) and Apollo 13 (1995).

Amy Madigan was nominated for an Academy Award in 1986 for Twice in a Lifetime. She was nominated for a Drama Desk Award for The Lucky Spot (1987).

The place is in a Connecticut mental health center.

Dr. Michael (Ed Harris) and Evangeline (Amy Madigan) try help patients with their mental problems. They only have eight sessions to do it if goe into more sessions they won’t get paid. The head of the facility Denise (Lily Gladstone) tells them to stop treatment. When Dr. Michael talks to social services Marcy (Nancy Giles) all he gets is double talk.

The patients we see are Frannie (Raleigh McDonald). She keeps running away from her foster mother Nora (Rhea Perlman) to go back to her mother who is unfit.

Barnard (F. Murray Abraham) won’t get out of bed. When he goes to a store he has a fixation on one of the workers.

Timothy (Mark Linn-Baker) has issues at home. He loves his hamster Otto. Timothy has trouble communicating.

Jane (Kate Buddeke) is dealing with her son Jimmy (Michael Rabe) suicide.

Jerome (Kenny Mellman) has been moving out of his mother Mrs. Garland (Laura Esterman) for three years. All he talks about is piles of boxes.

The last is Alex (Maulik Pancholy) tells Evangeline his parents are dead and he is coming out that he is gay.

The two people helping them have their own issues. Dr. Michael keeps hearing and seeing his dead mother (Charlotte Hope).

The story goes back and forth between characters.

Some the audience is mixed in with the cast.

The cast does an outstanding job. F. Murray Abraham and Maulik Pancholy shine.

The story is interesting but too long. There were times it was hard hearing what the actors were saying which make it hard to understand the characters issues.

Review by Rozanna Radakovich

Photos by Annazor.

To read a candid interview with the cast, scroll down to photos. Click on photos for this and other shows.

Good for Otto is playing at the Signature Theatre located at 480 West 42nd Street. It runs three hours with one intermission. It closes on April 1, 2018.

David Rabe is the playwright. He won a Tony Award for Sticky Bone (1972) and was nominated for three Tony Awards for Hurlyburly (1985), Steamers (1977) and The Boom Boom Room (1974).

Derek McLane is the scenic designer. He was nominated for four Tony Awards for Anything Goes (2011), Ragtime (2010), 33 Variations (2009) and Pajama Game (2006).

Jeff Mahshie is the costume designer. He won a Tony Award in 2017 for The Terms of My Surrender.

F. Murray Abraham was nominated for three Drama Desk Awards for It’s Only a Play (2015), A Life in the Theatre (1992) and Teibele the Demon (1980). He won an Academy Award for Amadeus in 1985.

Ed Harris was nominated for a Tony Award and Drama Desk Award for Precious Sons (1986). He was nominated for four Academy Awards for The Hours (2002), Pollock (2000), The Truman Show (1998) and Apollo 13 (1995).

Amy Madigan was nominated for an Academy Award in 1986 for Twice in a Lifetime. She was nominated for a Drama Desk Award for The Lucky Spot (1987).

The place is in a Connecticut mental health center.

Dr. Michael (Ed Harris) and Evangeline (Amy Madigan) try help patients with their mental problems. They only have eight sessions to do it if goe into more sessions they won’t get paid. The head of the facility Denise (Lily Gladstone) tells them to stop treatment. When Dr. Michael talks to social services Marcy (Nancy Giles) all he gets is double talk.

The patients we see are Frannie (Raleigh McDonald). She keeps running away from her foster mother Nora (Rhea Perlman) to go back to her mother who is unfit.

Barnard (F. Murray Abraham) won’t get out of bed. When he goes to a store he has a fixation on one of the workers.

Timothy (Mark Linn-Baker) has issues at home. He loves his hamster Otto. Timothy has trouble communicating.

Jane (Kate Buddeke) is dealing with her son Jimmy (Michael Rabe) suicide.

Jerome (Kenny Mellman) has been moving out of his mother Mrs. Garland (Laura Esterman) for three years. All he talks about is piles of boxes.

The last is Alex (Maulik Pancholy) tells Evangeline his parents are dead and he is coming out that he is gay.

The two people helping them have their own issues. Dr. Michael keeps hearing and seeing his dead mother (Charlotte Hope).

The story goes back and forth between characters.

Some the audience is mixed in with the cast.

The cast does an outstanding job. F. Murray Abraham and Maulik Pancholy shine.

The story is interesting but too long. There were times it was hard hearing what the actors were saying which make it hard to understand the characters issues.

Review by Rozanna Radakovich

Photos by Annazor.

To read a candid interview with the cast, scroll down to photos. Click on photos for this and other shows.

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