Byline: Howard Kissel
Headline: "Rehearsal Doesn't Have It's Act Together" :Dull ensemble lacks aristocratic airs to play Anouilh's sharp-witted drama.

Excerpted:

"The material starts light but quickly grows darker.  In this production neither is convincing.

If you want to do a play this difficult, it would seem advisable to have at least one or two actors capable of meetings it's demands.

This production has approximately 1 1/2.

Fiona Hutchison is thoroughly captivating as the lord of the manor's mistress.

As the wife, the elegant Amy Danis never projects the worldliness of the character.  From there it's all down hill."

SECTION: Vol. 36 ; No. 5 ; Pg. 38; ISSN: 0005-3635
LENGTH: 360 words
HEADLINE: The Rehearsal; Samuel Beckett Theatre, New York, NY Theater reviews
BYLINE: Grode, Eric

BODY:
    Until a slight melodramatic misstep at the very end, the ASTCo/NEW Day Rep co-production of Jean Anouilh's "The Rehearsal" tells a fascinating story with all the flourish it deserves, thanks to a splendid cast and fine staging.

    Every one of these characters is playing a part. Their rehearsals of
Marivaux's "The Double Inconstancy" (to be performed at a dinner party)
consistently take a back seat to the diabolical mind games they play with one another. All the while, the play's setting (life among the spoiled elite of
post-WWII France) requires that they constantly adhere to their constrictive (and ultimately destructive) social strata.

    The plot follows the Count (George Millenbach), a dandy whose unexpected love for a common nursemaid (Sarah Graham Hayes) sets off a chain reaction of wounded pride and broken hearts (often interchangeable in this crowd). This series of revelations drags his wife (Amy Danis), his mistress (Fiona Hutchison), his best friend (Robert Ierardi), and a contingent of their lovers into the fray. All the while, the Marivaux parallels the goings-on a little too closely for some of the participants' tastes.

    All of this may sound rather grim, but "The Rehearsal" is hilarious. Both
Anouilh and Marivaux know how to keep a scene moving, and the juxtaposition of one's plot line constantly brings new energy to the other.

    The script includes more than its share of epigrams, one-liners, and comic situations. At the same time, though, the inevitability of class distinctions
combined with the sheer malice of a few central characters casts a pall over the piece.

    The cast is uniformly excellent, with Millenbach (who looks like a hybrid of Rudy Giuliani and Paul Rudnick), Hayes, and Jerry Della Salia standing out. Director John Daines wisely holds the pageantry to a minimum and allows the characters and text(s) to dominate. Lee Austin's costumes are gorgeous; Philip D. Widmer's lighting and Paul Wonsek's sets may not be as flashy, but they're equally effective.

    "The Rehearsal, " produced by ASTCo and New Day Repertory Co. at the Samuel Beckett Theatre, 410 W. 42nd St., NYC, Jan. 6-15.