JANE FONDA IN THE COURT OF PUBLIC OPINION: 66% – BITTERSWEET

Anne Archer and Terrence Beasor in "Jane Fonda in the Court of Public Opinion" at the Edgemar Center for the Arts. Credit: Ed Krieger.

SWEET
Be ready to shred a few tears near the end of this effective, makes-you-think hour-and-45-minute show.
Gil Kaan – Culture Spot LA

BITTERSWEET
This is why the topic of Jastrow’s play, co-directed by Michelle Danner, is so hypnotic — more so than the play itself, or this production of it.
Steven Leigh Morris – LA Weekly

SWEET
I don’t think that Jane Fonda and the Court of Public Opinion will ever be a great play, but it is a gripping round of docudrama.
Don Shirley – LA Stage Watch

SWEET
Riveting due to tight direction from Terry Jastrow, his script that presents both sides of the argument evenly… and a dynamite ensemble of actors led by Anne Archer as Fonda.
Don Grigware – Grigware Blogspot

BITTERSWEET
The result plays as an uneven mix of compelling historical detail and soapy group therapy, with a curious void at the center: the character of Fonda herself. The elegant Archer is poised to the point of detachment; no one expects an impersonation, yet little about her evokes Fonda’s polarizing vibe.
Charlotte Stoudt – LA Times

SWEET
Co-directed by Terry Jastrow and Michelle Danner, this material, supported by an effective set design by Chris Stone and light design by Juliet Klanchar, is on a slippery slope. In less skilled hands, it could have been one long lecture as there were lots of statics and anti-war hyperbole in Fonda’s long speeches. Instead, due in large part to the excellent production, it is a compelling, thought-provoking evening of theatre.
Beverly Cohn – Santa Monica Mirror

BITTER
The play is basically inert. We don’t know what Fonda has at stake. Certainly it can’t just be about whether the film can shoot in their town. So why is she here, on this particular day, with these particular men, trying to explain her antiwar activism? We never really know. Jastrow’s dialogue is informative rather than illuminating. There’s a lot of shouting and a bit of crying, but too little genuine feeling. The powerful currents of emotion that we do get are largely from old television footage-especially the clips of Fonda herself.
Samuel Bernstein – EdgeLosAngeles

SWEET
Archer’s Fonda is simultaneously apologetic and brave, unwavering in recalling her good intentions of ending a violent, unwinnable war. In retrospect, she recognizes the emotional harm she caused the battered vets. The passage of time since the Vietnam War lends the piece a sense of thoughtful hindsight.
Amy Lyons – Backstage

BITTERSWEET
It’s a mixed verdict for “Jane Fonda in the Court of Public Opinion.”
Bob Verini – Variety

JANE FONDA IN THE COURT OF PUBLIC OPINION
Edgemar Center for the Arts
2437 Main St., Santa Monica
Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m.; some added perfs Sun., 2 & 7 p.m.; call for schedule; through Dec. 4, 2011
Tickets: $35-$50; (310) 392-7327
Running time: 1 hour, 45 minutes