''The Penitent'' is a

play Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * P ...

David Mamet David Alan Mamet (; born November 30, 1947) is an American playwright, filmmaker, and author. He won a Pulitzer Prize and received Tony nominations for his plays ''Glengarry Glen Ross'' (1984) and '' Speed-the-Plow'' (1988). He first gained cri ...

that previewed off-Broadway starting on February 8, 2017 for its premiere in late February. The play deals with issues of threats to professional career advancement and the

LGBT ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term ...

community. The play was directed by artistic director Neil Pepe of the

Atlantic Theater Company Atlantic Theater Company is an Off-Broadway non-profit theater, whose mission is to produce great plays "simply and truthfully utilizing an artistic ensemble." The company was founded in 1985 by David Mamet, William H. Macy, and 30 of their act ...

Plot

A psychiatrist, Charles (Chris Bauer), has his career and life become derailed after he refuses to testify on behalf of a former patient who had become clinically violent and unstable, resulting in the deaths of multiple people following a tragic breakdown of his mental complications. The patient then claims that Charles will not testify in court or to the police because the patient is openly part of the

community. Further, the patient claims that Charles has recently gone through a religious conversion in his own personal identity which has resulted in a fully prejudiced reassessment of the gay community as a whole. Charles claims that the basis of these accusations are false and due to a misunderstanding. The misunderstanding resulted from an innocent mistyping of the title of an article that Charles wrote years ago about homosexuality where the title was "Homosexuality as an Adaptation," though the published version was released by the editor as the mistyped "Homosexuality as an Aberration." The resulting recriminations put Charles's entire career at risk and threaten to end his practice permanently.

Cast and characters

* Chris Bauer plays an experienced and published psychiatrist *Jordan Lage plays his attorney *Lawrence Gilliard Jr plays a supporting role *

Rebecca Pidgeon Rebecca Pidgeon (born October 10, 1965) is an American actress who has appeared on stage and in feature films, and a singer, songwriter and recording artist. She is married to American playwright David Mamet. Early life Pidgeon was born to Engl ...

plays a supporting role

Production

''The Penitent'' opened for its first previews off-Broadway on February 8, 2017 with its premiere planned to take place at the end of February at the

in downtown New York. The play follows Mamet's previous play titled ''China Doll'' which, though making a profit for its producers, closed on Broadway in early 2016 without fanfare. ''The Penitent'' was directed by artistic director Neil Pepe at the Atlantic Theater Company. February 27, 2017 marks the opening of the play in its limited run scheduled to end on March 19, 2017 at the Linda Gross Theater in New York.

Critical reception

The play, while in previews for most of February 2017, received no reviews leading to its opening at the end of February. Upon its premiere, ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

s Alexis Soloski gave the play a mostly negative review, arguing that it lacked the style and intensity of Mamet's earlier work. Deeming the play "cynical and morose", Soloski was especially disappointed in Chris Bauer's performance, stating that "his downbeat take on the role is like a damp towel thrown across the stage".

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Penitent 2017 plays Plays by David Mamet Broadway plays