J.B. presented by American Century Theater at Gunston Arts Center

J.B.

Gunston Arts Center
2700 S. Lang Street Arlington

Performed in a circus ring, this theatrical updating of the biblical story of Job begins when two vendors in a circus take on the roles of Satan and God to examine the meaning of life by observing the travails of J.B., a banker whose life falls apart in chunks.

Presented by American Century Theater

Thru - Oct 6, 2012

Price: $35

Show Type: Comedy/Drama

Running Time: 2 hrs with 1 intermission

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J.B. Reviews

Average Rating based on 5 reviews

Highly Recommended
Recommended
Somewhat Recommended
Not Recommended

DC Theater Arts - Highly Recommended

"... The American Century Theater’s (TACT) entertaining and colorful production of the 1958 Pulitzer Prize-winning and 1959 Tony Award-winning Best Play J.B. by Archibald MacLeish is ‘way over the Big Top!’ What a fine way to begin TACT’s 2012-2013 season!"

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- Francine Schwartz

Talkin Broadway - Recommended

"... This verse drama by poet Archibald MacLeish received both the Tony Award and the Pulitzer Prize in 1959, but is little known today. Perhaps that's because of changing theatrical tastes (hardly anyone writes plays in verse anymore), because it requires a large and dramatically flexible cast, or because it takes on major moral and ethical concerns as a retelling of the biblical Book of Job. In any case, American Century and director Rip Claassen have worked hard to present J.B. as an affecting experience that involves both the mind and heart."

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- Susan Berlin

ShowBizRadio - Highly Recommended

"... What makes this show a success rests on the direction of Rip Claassen, the powerful acting of Bruce Alan Rauscher (Nickles) who has a full grasp of the nuance of his character and his character’s message and its delivery. Steve Lebens (Mr. Zuss) is strong and founded in his portrayal of the character. John Tweel in the title role (J.B.) pushes his character’s emotional requirements to the edge without allowing himself to go overboard. No easy task, indeed, but he carries it off professionally. These three actors carry the message with a complete professional delivery."

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- Mark Lee Adams

DramaUrge - Highly Recommended

"... There's a nested quality to Mr. Claassen's staging. A series of acting styles open up through the show, almost moving backwards in time from a Theater of the Absurd 50s Family Dinner (when the play was written), to a Medieval Morality Play, to a Greek Tragedy, before being restored and solemnized in the present. John Tweel as J.B. gives an inspired "bend-don't-break" performance, rising stoically after each battering of fate. And Julie Roundtree is superb as Sarah, portraying a character that is fully grounded in the realities of her and her family's misfortunes and not the shrewish biblical wife, looking to cut her losses. Both actors are fully sympathetic figures and demonstrate fortitude in their characters."

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- John Glass

DCTheatreScene - Recommended

The American Century Theater’s new production of Archibald MacLeish’s nearly forgotten verse play J.B. is well worth encountering, particularly if you’re looking for an intellectual challenge. ACT’s take on this unusual play re-creates its meticulously crafted, highly emotional yet surprisingly probing look back to a post-war era when Americans had begun to seriously question the American way of life, often searching for answers in the deeply complex novels, poetry and drama that materialized in the years following the Second World War.

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- Terry Ponick

J.B. presented by American Century Theater at Gunston Arts Center

J.B.

J.B. Reviews

DC Theater Arts - Highly Recommended

Talkin Broadway - Recommended

ShowBizRadio - Highly Recommended

DramaUrge - Highly Recommended

DCTheatreScene - Recommended

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