Review: 'Window' leaves audience warm

Opening a 'window' last night didn't keep the Harold Prince Theatre from getting red hot. With the help of just over half-a-dozen performers, Quadramics comical drama, Blue Window, started off a little cold, but by the end of 90-minute production, all the performers were on target. Under the sharp direction of Wharton and College junior Samara Epstein, the small cast of seven managed to pull off the three-act Craig Lucas production with a sense of finesse in their acting. The characters took their audience through the trials and tribulations of the lives they lead before, during, and after a house party given by one particularly neurotic woman. Although the cast tries its best to meld as an ensemble with no stars, there were some obvious standouts. Particularly enlightening was College junior Lori Horowitz's portrayal of the neurotic, highly disturbed party host. She was both charming and funny, turning dramatically serious for the finale. College sophomore Anthony Byrnes also turned in an equally outstanding performance as an outwardly charasmatic individual who inwardly leads a lonely life. Despite his lack of lines in the third act, Byrne's presence is quietly felt throughout the theater. While College freshman Karyn Wachtell chillingly portrayed her dysfunctional character, her voice lacked the strength needed to carry the play's only musical number. Of particular note also was the unusual physical setup of the play in the intimate theater. In the first and last scenes, the characters carry on simultaneous conversations in different parts of the stage, each corner representing a location entirely separate from the others. The actors and actresses are then supposedly oblivious of each other on stage. Yet, to the audience, their conversations intertwine smoothly. Despite minor flaws, the show, overall, will entertain and challenge the audience to face their own fears. Blue Window will be playing tonight at 8 p.m. and Saturday at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Tickets, available on Locust Walk, are $5.

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