critic’s corner
Nude With Violin
Noel Coward
“The play is engaging; it was drubbed originally for slowness and for its philistinism towards modern art. Judicious cutting (I assume by director June Prager) has alleviated the first fault, and timed the second.”
Michael Feingold, The Village Voice
“Watching – and thoroughly enjoying – Noel Coward’s “Nude With Violin” in a zestful, Off-Broadway revival, is plain fun. For all its bite, the play is so funny that the cynicism is tactfully muffled. The work’s neat construction, easily fitted to a small stage, leaves the director June Prager free to pilot a good cast in field-day parts.”
Howard Thompson, The New York Times
The Hostage
Brendan Behan
“Director June Prager has her cast play the Irishman’s irrepressible dialogue for all the comic effects possible. Adding to the enjoyment are the songs, performed with gusto.”
Ed Moran, Show Business
Panorama
Peter Dirk-Uys
“Theatre International Exchange’s Panorama Stunning: The strength of Uys’ script and June Prager’s direction, lies in the characters’ believability and balance.”
Mark Cofta, Main Line Times, Philadelphia
Tonight at 8:30
Noel Coward
Fumed Oak: “The trick is to keep it fresh and fierce, and this is exactly what happens under June Prager’s direction. This is a fine, biting microcosm of misery and courage, dramatized excellently by the four players.”
Shadow Play: “A seldom-revived serving of marital caviar and typical, lighter Coward, requiring the most gossamer expertise to float. Somehow, rather miraculously, the play rises like an easy, attractive bubble, and after all these years, with no strain or la-de-da handling of the sophisticated dialogue. The natural grace and charm of the two leads sets the tone.”
Howard Thompson, The New York Times
The Skin of Our Teeth
Thornton Wilder
“It remains a fresh and clever play, and these are the qualities that June Prager emphasizes in her production of this theatrical perennial. Prager maintains a light, superficial tone and a quick pace. The play comes off a bit sillier than Wilder intended, but it is entertaining, as Prager intended.”
Douglas J. Keating, The Philadelphia Inquirer
The Rabinowitz Gambit
Rose GoldeMberg
“This hilarious intellectual comedy ought to shoot into an extended run quickly. June Prager directs with flexibility – which the script demands. Goldemberg knows comedy inside out, and the pace of her writing distills the humor into rich laughter. The audience response seemed to make both play and actors glow.”
Martin Gregory, Show Business
Museum
Tina Howe
“The action is virtually non-stop with several encounters often happening on stage simultaneously, but under June Prager’s sure-handed direction, the proceedings always flow smoothly and none of the fun gets lost in the general mayhem.”
Rick Mulrooney, News-Journal, Philadelphia