Bobby Gould in Hell presented by American Ensemble Theate at Capitol Hill Arts Workshop

Bobby Gould in Hell

Capitol Hill Arts Workshop
545 7th Street, SE Washington

David Mamet's Bobby Gould in Hell is a fast-talking comic duel of wits. What is hell, and will Bobby spend eternity in it? Bobby Gould, its protagonist, is a recurring Everyman figure in Mamet's work, having appeared in the 1983 one-act, The Disappearance of the Jews, and in Speed-the-Plow of 1988. Bobby Gould in Hell begins as an interrogator enters, determined to get Gould to confess his sins. Gould struggles to argue his case. And a woman Bobby has wronged appears and turns up the heat. This relatively little-known Mamet comedy first appeared at Lincoln Center in 1989.

Presented by American Ensemble Theate

Thru - Jun 9, 2012

Thursdays: 8:00pm

Fridays: 8:00pm

Saturdays: 8:00pm

Price: $10

Show Type: Comedy

Box Office: 1-800-838-3006

Running Time: 1 hour 20 mins with no intermission

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Bobby Gould in Hell Reviews

Average Rating based on 5 reviews

Highly Recommended
Recommended
Somewhat Recommended
Not Recommended

Washington Post - Somewhat Recommended

"...This is Hell’s anteroom, where new arrivals are interviewed about their sins. The title character (played by Slice Hicks) is a shlumpy, balding fellow, albeit with a sharp goatee. The Interrogator’s Assistant (a droll Mikael Johnson), a nerd in tortoise-shell specs and a bow tie, has little information for the worried Gould. Then the Chief Interrogator (Anthony van Eyck), bursts in, all tricked out in fishing gear as if he had been heading out to land a few trout. Bobby Gould may be his catch of the day. "

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- Jane Horwitz

DC Theater Arts - Highly Recommended

"...The acting is fantastic and never failed to impress me. The Interrogator’s Assistant (Mikael Johnson) does not have as many lines as some of the other actors, but his physical comedy is spot-on. Most of his staging involves keeping notes about the interrogation, but his reactions to the lines are outlandish and even when he was not the focus of a scene, my attention was constantly drawn to him. Eyck portrays a very convincing Interrogator and provides an interesting spin on the popular idea of “the devil” with his costume involving a Hawaiian shirt and khaki shorts. He successfully performs each ridiculous scene with a certain sense of seriousness that only adds to the humor of the play. For example, when Bobby claims that nothing is black and white and therefore he was a good man, the Interrogator whips out a stuffed panda in order to disprove the claim. The outlandish action caused the audience to burst out laughing, but Eyck acted as if nothing was out of the ordinary."

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- Lauren Katz

ShowBizRadio - Recommended

"...And so we have Bobby Gould In Hell, a loud, wordy and vicious (Mamet’s nomenclature, not mine) piece by David Mamet now playing at the Capitol Hill Arts Workshop and performed by the American Ensemble Theatre. Director Tom Prewitt has assembled a strong cast with the skill and stamina to keep up the pace of a Mamet play and used the cozy black box space at CHAW to great effect by creating an almost personal relationship between audience and cast."

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- Genie Baskir

MD Theatre Guide - Highly Recommended

"... David Mamet’s renowned style of writing, or “Mamet Speak”, is abundant in Bobby Gould in Hell. His distinctive dialogue is written for effect and often gives his characters a wise, cynical edge. Van Eyck and Hicks are adept at handling Mamet’s hard-edged style of dialogue. Their Devil and Bobby banter interrupt each other with realistic aplomb. Van Eyck also riffs off linguistic gems with a range reminiscent of Robin Williams’ Genii in Disney’s Aladdin."

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- April Forrer

DCTheatreScene - Recommended

Anthony van Eyck has a wonderful gift for spouting speedy, at times absurd, dialogue yet still making it sound natural (take note, Robin Williams). His Interrogator is a cunning and humorous prosecutor, who glibly poses the questions about the moral ambiguities of life and philosophy.

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- Steve McKnight

Bobby Gould in Hell presented by American Ensemble Theate at Capitol Hill Arts Workshop