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by Doug Jones
Thespian Thoughts Theatre Review – PATTERNS
“A Triumph”
Patterns may have been written 60 years ago but the corporate politics at the heart of this gripping drama are timeless.
A ruthless business titan brings in a youthful executive in the hope of forcing out the company’s aging vice president and by doing so sets in motion a boardroom battle between conscience and ambition.
Originally a TV movie, this is the script on which Rod “Twilight Zone” Sterling made his name and the stage adaptation by James Reach retains the power and poignancy of the stirring source material.
The cast, costumes, set and sound all perfectly capture the atmosphere of the executive floor of a big corporation in 1955 New York.
James Schendel is especially effective as the nice guy veteran on the way out and so too is Daniel Kaemon as the sensitive newcomer on the way up.
Director Jules Aaron ensures the manners, etiquette and attitudes match the time period ensuring what what goes unsaid is every bit as important as the spoken words.
There are some terrific plays on stage in LA at the moment, including Orphans at Theatre of Note, The Glass Menagerie at The Sherry Theatre and Actors Co-Ops’ just completed An Evening with CS Lewis all contenders for show of the summer, but nothing comes close to Patterns.
This one is a triumph for Theatre 40 and a wonderful way to launch the company’s 50th season in Beverly Hills.
PATTERNS
By James Reach, based on the teleplay by Rod Sterling
At Theatre 40, 241 S. Moreno Drive, Beverly Hills, CA 90212
Thur, Fri, Sat at 8pm, Sundays at 2pm thru August 23
Tickets $30 from 310-364-0535 or Theatre40.org
Directed by Jules Aaron
Cast (in alphabetical order) Todd Andrew Ball, Daniel Kaemon, Erica Larsen, Aygul Maksutova, Richard Hoyt Miller, Elain Rinehart, James Schendel, Louis Scheider, Savannah Schoenecker, John Schroeder, Sharron Shayne, David Hunt Stafford and Cathy Tomlin.
Set design: Jeff G Rack
Costume design: Michele Young
Lighting design: Ric Zimmerman
Sound design: Joseph Slawinksi
Stage manager: Don Solosan
Assistant stage manager: Richard Carner
Publicity: Philip Sokoloff
Thespian Thoughts is a theatre review article on Actors Entertainment, a channel on the Actors Podcast Network, a Pepper Jay Production.
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