All reviews are in now for the American Pilot:
a remarkably effective piece of theatricality … very well expressed
Going with the Flow (Junta Sekimori’s blog)
The set is limited but resourceful, the acting is good to memorable, and the production should be seen, not because it does the local culture a service but because it tells a thought-provoking, multi-layered story tremendously well.
The play has some wonderfully lyrical moments, starting with the first monologue, and the foreshadowing technique is highly effective, but sometimes the play fails to deliver its promise and you are left wishing that more could have been said. There are moments of humour (watch out for Daffy Duck!) but more could have been made of the translations; that they could be both amusing as well as dangerous when mistranslated is touched upon, but this is a rich seam that the play does not exploit to the full. Nevertheless, this is a topical, thought-provoking play which is well-worth seeing.
Having said all that, this non-professional production is agreeably rough around the edges and highly engaging. The cast do their best to keep the action snappy and it succeeds really well in holding the attention when it could have been a preachy yawn-fest … The American Pilot is flawed but highly worthwhile. If you are the sort of person who goes to the theatre in order to endlessly dissect the show afterwards, there isn’t a better production on in town at the moment.
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