A Walk in the Woods presented by Quotidian Theatre Company at Writer's Center

A Walk in the Woods

Writer's Center
4508 Walsh Street Bethesda

Two arms negotiators, a Russian and an American, meet informally after long, frustrating hours at the bargaining table in Geneva. As their talks continue, it is clear that despite their deepening understanding, these two wise and decent men face profound frustration in dealing with the mistrust of both governments. Nearly a quarter of a century after the play was written, it is clear that the theme is timeless.

Presented by Quotidian Theatre Company

Thru - Apr 14, 2013

Price: $25-$30

Show Type: Drama

Running Time: 1 hour 55 mins with 1 intermission

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A Walk in the Woods Reviews

Average Rating based on 7 reviews

Highly Recommended
Recommended
Somewhat Recommended
Not Recommended

Washington Post - Recommended

"..."A Walk in the Woods" does really well in intimate venues. It ran on Broadway in the smaller Booth Theatre in 1988 and was done at Arena Stage in 1989 in the Kreeger. The small local troupe American Ensemble Theater did it at the Goethe Institute in 2010. It worked in those spaces, and it's working now for Quotidian at the Writer's Center in Bethesda. Herring's uptight American may well achieve a more relaxed detente with LaRocque's raffish Russian as the run goes on."

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- Jane Horwitz

DC Theater Arts - Highly Recommended

"...Quotidian Theatre Company heats up the Cold War with Lee Blessing's classic, A Walk in the Woods. Quotidian's mission is to present theater about real life with "no-frills acting" or special effects but with big themes and important truths. A Walk in the Woods fits perfectly in their repertoire. It is a deceptively simple piece about two men who take a walk in the woods. They are arms negotiators - one Russian, one American - in the 1980s that carve out a relationship away from the negotiating table and prying eyes. The play was nominated for a Tony Award and a Pulitzer Prize."

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- Jessica Vaughan

Washington Examiner - Somewhat Recommended

"...As directed by Gillian Drake, Herring's portrayal is overly stiff. When he first appears, he is the picture of American uptightness, with a black notebook clasped tightly to his chest, his English suit buttoned. Though he and Botvinnik come to some agreements about the need for hope and trust, there is a chord that is missing in Herring's performance, a sign that he is learning from Botvinnik, who has many lessons to teach."

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- Barbara Mackay

DCist - Recommended

"...How odd to look back on a time when two superpowers hogged the whole stage. The datedness of the Soviet-American bickering is half of Walk's appeal. This question of what compromise means-is it about saying yes more often than saying no? Or is it just that well-timed no's lead to more amenable yeses?"

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- Alexis Victoria Hauk

Washington City Paper - Recommended

"...Blessing's meditation on the spectrum of institutional and personal diplomacy is both grounded in the complicated nitty-gritty-Herring's Honeyman rattles off a long list of at-issue ordnance in one frustrated outburst, begging Botvinnik to choose a missile or a base to restart talks around-and endearingly humane. These men have their egos, true, but they have hearts, too, and as the seasons pass in those quiet Swiss woodlands (lyrically realized by set designer Samina Vieth and lighting designer Don Slater), the latter take more than a couple of bruises. It's an affecting play, effectively staged."

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- Trey Graham

MD Theatre Guide - Highly Recommended

"...A Walk in The Woods at Quotidian Theatre Company is definitely worth your time and money. I couldn't help but think while watching this show, how relevant its issues are with what is happening today in our own country. Not only does the script have a lot to say about foreign relations but our elected officials could learn a thing or two from these two skilled negotiators about the art of political negotiation. And for those who think this show is dated and there are no nuclear threats anymore, I have three words: Iran and North Korea. Just open the Washington Post and you will see that the play is still all too relevant."

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- Elliot Lanes

DCTheatreScene - Recommended

The Soviet Union is no more, and the days when reaching an agreement with it on arms control was a matter of planetary life and death are fading into memory. Why, then, would a play about two superpower negotiators trying to put controls on the nuclear arms race mean anything to us today?

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- Tim Treanor