“’Public Servant’ is the second part of a trilogy that started with Ms. Brunstetter’s ‘The Cake’...The new play is about parenthood, paternalism and what it means to work for the people...’The Cake’, though, is a more polished and organic work than ‘Public Servant’, whose plot and dialogue can seem forced...Dramaturgically, it feels engineered...It’s a handsome production, though.”
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"A heartwarming vision of how life could be, if not a particularly enthralling drama...Although their performances feel broad, the three actors fully commit to each beat...Director Geordie Broadwater crafts some tender moments between the actors, but it's not enough to compensate for a sluggish production...Brunstetter wraps everything up in an almost ludicrously happy conclusion."
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“Under Geordie Broadwater's direction, the action ambles at an unhurried pace, taking time for moments of insight into three sadly deprived lives...And sometimes Brunstetter's throwaway sense of humor casts a strangely revealing light...The cast is adept at inhabiting this scratchy, solitary trio of lost souls...But ‘Public Servant’ is dogged by a certain falsity, a problem not helped by an eleventh-hour scene.”
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"Edmund T. Morris' white picket fence that greets us inside Theatre Row for Theatre Breaking Through Barriers' world premiere of 'Public Servant' may not initially impress us, but it proves before long to be the ideal metaphor for Bekah Brunstetter's gripping play - it's both deceptively simple and deceptively smart.
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“’Public Servant' attempts to combine two separate and unconnected stories, twisting the play out of shape in order to join them...The two stories not only seem unrelated but it is rather contrived...The play is to be complimented for giving work to actors who might be marginalized but without the story being solely about those issues but making it part of the lives of the characters...Nevertheless, the cast is quite engaging and sympathetic."
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"The evident awkwardness and discomfort the characters display regarding Miriam’s CP, and their discussions with her about it, allow 'Public Servant' to tackle misconceptions and stereotypes head-on without ever becoming too preachy or PC. This accomplishment is one of the strongest aspects of the production...'Public Servant,' much like a TV drama, is quick to pivot towards a happy ending and a heart-warming message."
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“Brunstetter throws Ed, Hannah, and Miriam together at critical moments in their lives...But the play winds up without a strong single central core. It becomes about the intermingled relationships between the three of them...There is a lot of heart, there is a lot of truth, but I missed some humor which was only sparsely in evidence...One of the things she absolutely aced was the character of Miriam whom she endowed with Cerebral Palsy.”
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“Worthy and worthwhile new play...’Public Servant’ feels similar to 'This Is Us' in the way it weaves in social/political issues gently into the characters’ lives, and how it shares with that show its emotional and optimistic approach: The individuals are each sad and flawed but loving; they have problems, they have disagreements, there will be losses and sacrifices, but if they can support one another as a family/a community, things will work out at the end.”
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