Word: bensons
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...postings simply as The Greatest Pedal Steel Player Who Ever Lived. A query about the history of the instrument gets me a personal e-mail from one of its elder statesmen, Maurice Anderson. It's the pedal steel equivalent of a guitar chat group where Jeff Beck or George Benson would weigh in occasionally...
...Benson...
...dull moment onstage, with plenty of drama and a good supporting cast. But with such a thematically saturated script, there's so much to absorb that it's easy to lose a bit in the shuffle. Here the production would have benefited from the tighter and more intimate blocking Benson uses in scenes between Rita and Lang. This, in addition to more focused lighting, might have directed the audience's attention and brought out the darker elements pervading the play...
...productions such as the Pulitzer Prize-winning Glengarry Glen Ross. But don't expect strict realism, or the rapid-fire tough talk for which Mamet is known. Mamet originally wrote the play in 1976 as a radio play for National Public Radio, not for the stage. But director Stephen Benson, making his debut with the Pet Brick Players, takes up the challenge. The set - a radio studio, fitted with old-fashioned microphones - bolsters the theme of communication stressed throughout the piece and also provides audiences with a glimpse of the secrets of studio production. As the onstage Foley artist, Paul...
Although distracting and somewhat artificial by nature, the initial studio setup provides the audience with a unique opportunity to watch both the 'actors' and the radio personas they portray. Piece by piece, Benson then transitions the piece from radio drama to full-fledged stage production. It's a bit of a bumpy ride, but one worth taking to see the characters spring to life...