The Unexpected Manby Yasmina RezaWinner Bay Area Critics Circle
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In response to overwhelming audience interest, Spare Stage revived Yasmina Reza’s The Unexpected Man with renowned local actor Ken Ruta, joined by veteran Bay Area actress Susan Maeder. The initial run during the summer of 2009 played to sold-out houses at the Exit Theatre, earning rave reviews and winning several Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Awards, including Best Actor for Ruta and Best Director for Stephen Drewes. Critics described it as “a gem not to be missed” and “highly gratifying … a literary and theatrical affirmation”. |
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An aging novelist on a train from Paris to Frankfurt muses about the failings and frustrations of his life. He is recognized by an attractive woman sitting in the opposite seat. Should she speak to him? Or should she simply take his latest book out of her handbag and start reading? |
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With |
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Ken Ruta |
Susan Maeder | |
Best Actor 2009
The Unexpected Man
2010
The Breath of Life
What the critics said about this production of The Unexpected Man:"Stephen Drewes directs Ken Ruta and Susan Maeder with exquisite grace as they portray two seniors sharing a train compartment to Frankfurt who struggle to overcome their shyness. Ruta plays a bitter, old and dyspeptic novelist obsessed with ExLax and his disappointing son-in-law while Maeder is a fan of his writing in Yasmina Reza's beautifully written duet for two veteran actors." — George Heymont, HuffingtonPost.com, October 5, 2010"Spare Stage’s award-winning production of Yasmina Reza’s The Unexpected Man is back for a limited run at EXIT Theatre. The premise is simple, the execution delightful: A man and a woman are the only occupants of a compartment of a passenger train going from Paris to Frankfurt. He is a well-known author engrossed with a troublesome family situation; she is an ardent fan who immediately recognizes him. They do not engage in conversation, but their inner thoughts, reflecting on life, love and each other, are shared with the audience. Veteran actors Ken Ruta and Susan Maeder deftly handle this well-crafted small-scale piece by the author of Art and God of Carnage. 90 minutes without intermission. Directed by Stephen Drewes. Through Nov. 14" — Susan Cohn, San Mateo Daily Journal, November 5, 2010 |