Berkshire Theatre Group, Stockbridge, MA
through August 9
by Jarice Hanson
Have you ever wished you could tell a parent what you
thought of what they had taught you, and not have them interrupt? In Cedars, a
one-man play in five acts starring the talented James Naughton, currently at
the Fitzpatrick Main Stage theatre, this premise is examined from the
perspective of a self-absorbed 59 year old lawyer who talks to his comatose
father while his own life is falling apart. The imagined location is the
Cedars-Sinai hospital in Los Angeles, and the script, penned by Erik Tarloff is
full of LA-speak; the criticism of pop culture, morals, and fractured families.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhou-bDtGEKN7McvkbT3EjXQHXjkQjRQLNmC8EZHSiLdRKBgrQDD7wtdBoc4KTX4tHYrBK_7xcJR1BXem9SZGbuoZT2hR2BCvb58_tWN2ZQdqkwSA2w1Bcz5UGTxi7L71WPYLz5HFgzlfYG/s1600/cedars.jpg)
The problems with the show are in Tarloff’s script. The
over-written dialog is too literary for this type of intimate show, and some of
the dialog is crude and insensitive. Naughton gets a few moments where he
shines like the star he is, but even he has a hard time overcoming the dialog
that masks the truth Gabe and the audience need to find to make this show
really memorable.