Fahrenheit 451 at Round House Theatre

Fahrenheit 451

Round House Theatre
4545 East-West Highway Bethesda

Firemen in this futuristic world burn books and hunt down anyone who risks reading them. Free-thought and intellectualism are discouraged, questioning authority is dangerous, and the masses are spoon-fed a diet of interactive reality shows on their huge TVs. Montag, a fireman in charge of burning the forbidden volumes, befriends a young woman who dares to read. Suddenly a hunted fugitive, he must choose between safety and intellectual freedom.

Thru - Oct 9, 2011

Price: $25 - $60

Show Type: Drama

Running Time: 2 hrs, 30 minutes with 1 intermission

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Fahrenheit 451 Reviews

Average Rating based on 7 reviews

Highly Recommended
Recommended
Somewhat Recommended
Not Recommended

Washington Post - Not Recommended

"...But even if you accept Bradbury’s story as a metaphor, it loses its symbolic power in director Sharon Ott’s labored offering at the Bethesda theater. Packing her play with all manner of geegaws —the production credits a motion-media designer, animator and projection engineer —this “Fahrenheit” boasts the antiseptic look of the soulless future found in so much popular science fiction."

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- Peter Marks

Talkin Broadway - Recommended

"...While Bonham's characterization grows as Montag becomes more aware of the world around him, Jefferson A. Russell gives the most powerful performance as Montag's boss, Beatty. His scene about the evaporation of thought, the presence of "plenty of facts but no meaning," provides the human basis for the drama."

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- Susan Berlin

Washingtonian - Highly Recommended

"...Russell embodies the show’s most confounding character—the Machiavellian Beatty, who keeps the audience guessing about his motives throughout—and he’s a force to watch. He’s also given a proper foil in Montag, the fireman who first begins questioning the world he’s a part of, partly due to his encounter with the sprightly, philosophical Clarisse (Aurora Heimbach). Bonham’s clean cut, all-American look is suited to Montag, and his personal transformation comes about gradually and convincingly. He and Russell face off in a verbal, quote-slinging sparring match in Act Two, and the invigorating scene is emblematic of a show where the stakes feel frighteningly and familiarly high."

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- Missy Frederick

Gazette.net - Highly Recommended

"...Somewhere during the evening, I heard someone say that whereas Bradbury’s voice in the 1950s was a canary in the coal mine, it is now an alarm bell ringing loudly. “Fahrenheit 451” is stunning in all its aspects, but it is also deeply disturbing. And perhaps we need to be disturbed sometime around now."

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- Larry Bangs

DramaUrge - Recommended

"...Sharon Ott's amped and high concept production, developed originally with her colleagues at the Savannah College of Art and Design, makes the most of what is available technologically to enhance, but not obscure, Bradbury's message, namely that we ourselves are responsible for the world we've created. The design doesn't overwhelm, but seems to work collaboratively, almost interactively, with the creative team and cast as well as the audience. It's ironic that the media that is the subject of the critique should be a vehicle to express it. Yet, Ms. Ott's production largely tamps it down, letting the story emerge."

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- John Glass

MD Theatre Guide - Highly Recommended

"...The more seasoned cast members really shined on this opening night. Jefferson A. Russell was outstanding! Russell approached this production like a veteran athlete. He was very versatile, physical, and charismatic. During one of his soliloquy’s regarding minorities…he resembled a deft boxer spitting various national dialects physicality like the rapid jabs of a boxer. Mesmerizing. I also enjoyed Jean Harrison as the doomed Mrs. Hudson. Her character was believable and astounding as one who would lay down her life for her books. Additionally Professor Farber (John LesCault) held your attention as the knowledgeable but cowardly man who introduces Montag to literature. Liz Mamana was able to skirt the fine line of not allowing Mildred to become a cartoon character completely – by demonstrating a smidgen of soul and personality. A difficult task. The less experienced actors were delightful, but a few more nights under their belt would allow the portrayals to mature. Like a pair of new shoes – they need to work their characters a bit to find the perfect fit."

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- Connie Morris

DCTheatreScene - Recommended

Fahrenheit 451, freshly directed by Sharon Ott, introduces us to Montag, a young Fireman of the future, played beautifully by David Bonham. Montag is not a fireman in the current heroic mode. He doesn’t fight fires, he sets them. He spends his days burning books, his evenings sleeping in a multi-media funhouse, and knows in his gut (or brain) that a crucial component of life is absent.

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- Sarah Ameigh

Fahrenheit 451 at Round House Theatre

Fahrenheit 451

Fahrenheit 451 Reviews

Washington Post - Not Recommended

Talkin Broadway - Recommended

Washingtonian - Highly Recommended

Gazette.net - Highly Recommended

DramaUrge - Recommended

MD Theatre Guide - Highly Recommended

DCTheatreScene - Recommended

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