THE CLOSENESS OF THE HORIZON: 80% – SWEET

Bruce Nozick, David Starzyk and Daniel Kash in "The Closeness of the Horizon" at the Odyssey Theatre. Credit: Ed Krieger.

SWEET
Director Darin Anthony’s beautifully nuanced production of the play, which engrossingly captures the emotions underlying midlife masculinity, is full of mature humor that shifts suddenly into scathing sadness Ñ and the performances possess a sense of powerfully truthful detail.
Paul Birchall – LA Weekly

SWEET
One of our finest Los Angeles playwrights, Richard Martin Hirsch is also one of the least easily pigeonholed, as each new work reveals an unexpected something up the writer’s sleeve. In The Closeness Of The Horizon, Hirsch has taken real-life events, both those shared with his fellow Boomers and those of a more personal nature, and created a work of fiction that resonates with the ring of truth.
Steven Stanley – StageSceneLA

SWEET
Well-written with sparks of intense dialogue and well-acted, Closeness is a masterful twist on the mid life crisis.
Serita Stevens – LASplash

SWEET
For that (as well as the sarcastic humor and various expletives), I humbly recommend Hirsch’s play to mature audiences.
Janice Estrada – LifeInLA

BITTERSWEET
It’s a mid-life crisis play, full of humor and angst, but playwright Hirsch has not solved the problems of construction: his first act is entirely too fractured, and director Darin Anthony didn’t help enough to zero in on the angst-aspect in his first act, leaving his lead actor, Nozick, to flail around, substituting shouting for deliberation. It is only in the second act that all the pieces fall into place, allowing for a sensible denouement, cementing what he wanted to say.
Dale Reynolds – Stagehappenings

SWEET
In his play, filled with humor as well as angst, Paul is probably Hirsch’s ego who finally comes to the conclusion that ahehas to realize that the three of them have drifted apart. They have lived such diverse lives, and no longer have a commonality.
Carol Kaufman Segal – Stagehappenings

BITTERSWEET
The production, deftly directed by Darin Anthony, is certainly professional in almost every aspect, while Hirsch is a glib practitioner whose characters seem completely organic and of the moment. They also tend to be whiny and self-involved, intent upon aggrandizing scanty emotional travails into epic crises. Two hours in their fretful presence proves a bit of a strain.
F. Kathleen Foley – LA Times

SWEET
Performances are impressive.
Ingrid Wilmot – Will Call

BITTERSWEET
The story goes along energetically enough, but it struggles to find the sense of profundity Hirsch seems to be aiming for.
Samuel Bernstein – EyeSpyLA

BITTERSWEET
Essentially, it frames itself too closely to ways we’ve seen this idea presented before and while at times Hirsch, Anthony and the performers handle themselves effectively and with dramatic gumption, the production overall falls short of great. But it’s good with flashes of.
Phillip Kelly – MadTheatrics

THE CLOSENESS OF THE HORIZON
Odyssey Theatre
2055 Sepulveda Blvd., W.L.A.
Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 2 p.m.; through June 24, 2012
Tickets: $25-$30; (323) 960-1054
Running time: 2 hours