Daniel and Mitchell are the perfect couple. What isn’t so perfect is that Daniel desperately longs to be married, but Mitchell doesn’t believe in it. When a life-altering event throws the couple into crisis, Mitchell must use the laws of his own heart to fight the rules of law. Michael McKeever’s funny, passionate and poignant play takes an unflinching look at how we choose to tie the knot — or not. May 4 – June 23; Fridays @ 8 p.m. / Saturdays @ 2 p.m. & 8 p.m. / Sundays at 2 p.m. / Mondays at 8 p.m.; $25-$45; In addition to regular seating, Pay-What-You-Want tickets are available on Monday nights (subject to availability). Fountain Theatre, 5060 Fountain Ave. (at Normandie), Los Angeles, CA 90029; (323) 663-1525; www.FountainTheatre.com.
Daniel’s Husband
Reviews
Director Simon Levy infuses the stage with energy. The pacing never lags, even in the quiet, desperate moments of the second half. He allows his actors time to breathe and to let them give the lines (and the spaces between them) time to land.
McKeever’s 2018 off-Broadway hit “Daniel’s Husband” has been extended for another month and it’s easy to see why. Directed by Simon Levy, the play explores ideas about what love and commitment mean to different people and how those ideas can have a much greater impact on our futures than we can begin to realize.
The talented players receives sure-handed guidance from director Simon Levy, who never allows the characters to be anything less than human.
“Daniel’s Husband” goes from being light-hearted to heart-breaking over the course of its two acts, reminding us along the way of the practical benefits of marriage and offering a grim warning against the hubris of making a choice based on philosophical principal when the real-world stakes are so high. This Los Angeles premiere production drives home its points without equivocation, but what makes it must-see theatre is that it does so without losing sight of the love story at its core.
Under the sure and steady directorial hand of Simon Levy, Michael McKeever's indelible play is a tribute to committing oneself to love and life, written by a splendid wordsmith and assayed by a brilliant team of designers and players who tenderly make a plea for us all to be kinder and more conscientious of who we are and what our place is in the world if we care enough to try to leave it a better place.
All in all, "Daniel’s Husband" is a terrific show: a cautionary tale for everyone who loves another and is concerned about what life may bring.
The life struggle that this sets up perfectly crystallizes and clarifies the earlier discussions. Everyone in this cast is at the top of their game and director Simon Levy keeps the comedic pace and rhythm of the piece on the mark. The end of the play is a four-to-five-hankie event (for those of you who still carry hankies) with a clear message.
A debate over the efficacy of gay marriage (especially one between two homosexual characters) can be the foundation of an interesting drama. But you can credit McKeever for having written a play that is as much about people as it is about ideas...
At its heart this is a love story, and as we witness both the warmth, eroticism, and hopefulness of Daniel and Mitchell’s first date, we get a compelling argument for togetherness in whatever form it takes. You may find yourself choking up at the end of Daniel’s Husband. That emotion is entirely earned.
The dramatic scenes are the most memorable, however, and McKeever successfully creates strong emotional moments while creating an intriguing discussion about gay marriage and legal issues.
The Fountain Theatre has created a very fine production of Daniel's Husband, a lovely surprise that local theater-lovers should seek out.
Director Simon Levy and his top- notch ensemble bring out the good, the bad and the ugly of each of the five characters...
There is no doubt that the entire cast is completely and emotionally invested in this production. True emotions that run this deep can’t be phoned in. While I can’t speak to my fellow playgoers, yours truly left a little teary eyed knowing what heartbreak lies ahead for all involved.
...Yes it was well worth the drive.
Two thumbs up.
I’d call “Daniel’s Husband” a Greek tragedy if it weren’t so clever, charming and funny on the way to its sadness. Playwright Michael McKeever deftly melds humor and tragedy, and the superb cast portrays the five characters so engagingly that we’re caught caring entirely too much when the problem arises.
Simon Levy's fluid direction is subtle, allowing the progress of each of the characters room for revelations that must be indicated in McKeever's script, but enhanced by the craft of each one of the actors.
Director Levy makes sure the actors reach their emotional goals, and every one of them makes the most of their moments. Watching the four middle-aged actors not over-or under-play their characters’ wants and needs is a joy to behold...
This is an exciting piece of quality theatre and works for all with its clarity on the issues and its strong emotional resonance.
To the well-deserved credit of the writer (Michael McKeever) and director (Simon Levy), this is a show that will leave audiences grateful for the time they spent together, despite the emotional roller coaster ride.
The Fountain Theatre’s production is absolutely breathtaking... The performances are exceptional – not a weak link in the bunch. I highly recommend seeing this timely and provocative play if you’re in the area.
McKeever has written an intelligent and thought-provoking play and director Simon Levy has expertly guided his stellar cast through it. They deliver the comedy as well as the drama that is deftly exposed as the play progresses.
So complete is the integration of the performances that singling out any one of these actors seems unfair to the others. They are exactly who they’re meant to be...
It would be easy for Daniel’s Husband to slip into melodrama. Yet it does not. Everything about this staging is measured, even its most tragic aspects.
Certainly the skill of these four actors in presenting honest and truthful characters, and Simon Levy’s skill at keeping them intertwining with each other as the conversation switches sides, will have you looking at your own behavior in relationships with piercing insight, especially for those of us walking that same line between “do we or don’t we” from many sides of the same argument. Be prepared to be amazed at the intense and utterly heartbreaking situations, perfectly scripted, acted and directed by this brilliant team, which arise as the question of legal guardianship surfaces. And bring Kleenex. And walk away in awe of this outstanding production sure to be a hit at next year’s Ovation Awards.
Avoiding Lifetime Movie-style clichés every step of the way, and guaranteed to leave you profoundly touched and moved, Daniel’s Husband’s Southern California Premiere at the Fountain is not to be missed.
The Fountain Theatre's Southern California premiere of DANIEL'S HUSBAND has brought together a not-oft-enough, ideal convergence of uniformly talent of talents - with witty, realistic, heart-rendering dialogue by playwright Michael McKeever; sturdy, even-paced directing by Simon Levy; first-rate technical elements; and a pitch, pitch-perfect cast of five actors, each at the top of their individual games.
If you are not moved by this exquisitely written, superbly directed (by Simon Levy ) and excellently performed by the entire cast, your heart is frozen somewhere up in Antarctica!
these are some of the finest actors in LA and they not only keep things together - they make it all terribly touching. And make small silent moments speak volumes. This is the kind of acting that make intimate theater special. You're not going to see a cast this good in a space this small in other cities.
So laugh with the first half, cry or cringe with the second half - but enjoy these actors.
Much of the first half of this intermission-less work plays out like a tempest in a teapot…..Things do change, however, in ways that reflect the shortsightedness and lack of understanding that many people have of their relative good fortune, and of the ways their lack of insight can sabotage their lives.
Even when we can see where the play’s going, getting swept up in its emotion is easy. And despite its polemics and forced means of delivery, it excels in getting us to reconsider our individual perspectives and prejudices.
Director Simon Levy skillfully provides a balanced and evenhanded touch at the lighthearted and charming outset, but when Daniel's fate has to be decided, he gives the actors space to explore the realism of the situation with empathy and believability. His emphasis on the multi-dimensional nature of the characters adds to the thoughtful import of the story...
This is a play that resonates long after the final moments. McKeever follows the dramatic ending with a flashback that allows the audience to revisit Daniel and Mitchell in a sweeter moment. Thanks to the fine production, this night of theater stimulates discussion and debate.
“Daniel's Husband,” a certified small-scale crowd-pleaser, is perhaps most moving in those moments it expands our understanding of family. The play, gaining strength from the intimacy of the Fountain Theatre and the general excellence of the production, begins in laughter, culminates in tears and leaves off in contemplation of the dangers in putting off for another day what matters most.
What we are left with is a PSA for marriage on practical, if not on romantic or moral grounds. Not that I don't agree with that message, I do, I do, but that can't be all a play is about. It's basically a highly sophisticated piece of agit-prop, a form that definitely has its place in the world, but is not emotionally complete. Nevertheless, the play is so well acted, and the theme is so important, that it does deserve to be seen.
Director Simon Levy infuses the stage with energy. The pacing never lags, even in the quiet, desperate moments of the second half. He allows his actors time to breathe and to let them give the lines (and the spaces between them) time to land.
McKeever’s 2018 off-Broadway hit “Daniel’s Husband” has been extended for another month and it’s easy to see why. Directed by Simon Levy, the play explores ideas about what love and commitment mean to different people and how those ideas can have a much greater impact on our futures than we can begin to realize.
The talented players receives sure-handed guidance from director Simon Levy, who never allows the characters to be anything less than human.
“Daniel’s Husband” goes from being light-hearted to heart-breaking over the course of its two acts, reminding us along the way of the practical benefits of marriage and offering a grim warning against the hubris of making a choice based on philosophical principal when the real-world stakes are so high. This Los Angeles premiere production drives home its points without equivocation, but what makes it must-see theatre is that it does so without losing sight of the love story at its core.
Under the sure and steady directorial hand of Simon Levy, Michael McKeever's indelible play is a tribute to committing oneself to love and life, written by a splendid wordsmith and assayed by a brilliant team of designers and players who tenderly make a plea for us all to be kinder and more conscientious of who we are and what our place is in the world if we care enough to try to leave it a better place.
All in all, "Daniel’s Husband" is a terrific show: a cautionary tale for everyone who loves another and is concerned about what life may bring.
The life struggle that this sets up perfectly crystallizes and clarifies the earlier discussions. Everyone in this cast is at the top of their game and director Simon Levy keeps the comedic pace and rhythm of the piece on the mark. The end of the play is a four-to-five-hankie event (for those of you who still carry hankies) with a clear message.
A debate over the efficacy of gay marriage (especially one between two homosexual characters) can be the foundation of an interesting drama. But you can credit McKeever for having written a play that is as much about people as it is about ideas...
At its heart this is a love story, and as we witness both the warmth, eroticism, and hopefulness of Daniel and Mitchell’s first date, we get a compelling argument for togetherness in whatever form it takes. You may find yourself choking up at the end of Daniel’s Husband. That emotion is entirely earned.
The dramatic scenes are the most memorable, however, and McKeever successfully creates strong emotional moments while creating an intriguing discussion about gay marriage and legal issues.
The Fountain Theatre has created a very fine production of Daniel's Husband, a lovely surprise that local theater-lovers should seek out.
Director Simon Levy and his top- notch ensemble bring out the good, the bad and the ugly of each of the five characters...
There is no doubt that the entire cast is completely and emotionally invested in this production. True emotions that run this deep can’t be phoned in. While I can’t speak to my fellow playgoers, yours truly left a little teary eyed knowing what heartbreak lies ahead for all involved.
...Yes it was well worth the drive.
Two thumbs up.
I’d call “Daniel’s Husband” a Greek tragedy if it weren’t so clever, charming and funny on the way to its sadness. Playwright Michael McKeever deftly melds humor and tragedy, and the superb cast portrays the five characters so engagingly that we’re caught caring entirely too much when the problem arises.
Simon Levy's fluid direction is subtle, allowing the progress of each of the characters room for revelations that must be indicated in McKeever's script, but enhanced by the craft of each one of the actors.
Director Levy makes sure the actors reach their emotional goals, and every one of them makes the most of their moments. Watching the four middle-aged actors not over-or under-play their characters’ wants and needs is a joy to behold...
This is an exciting piece of quality theatre and works for all with its clarity on the issues and its strong emotional resonance.
To the well-deserved credit of the writer (Michael McKeever) and director (Simon Levy), this is a show that will leave audiences grateful for the time they spent together, despite the emotional roller coaster ride.
The Fountain Theatre’s production is absolutely breathtaking... The performances are exceptional – not a weak link in the bunch. I highly recommend seeing this timely and provocative play if you’re in the area.
McKeever has written an intelligent and thought-provoking play and director Simon Levy has expertly guided his stellar cast through it. They deliver the comedy as well as the drama that is deftly exposed as the play progresses.
So complete is the integration of the performances that singling out any one of these actors seems unfair to the others. They are exactly who they’re meant to be...
It would be easy for Daniel’s Husband to slip into melodrama. Yet it does not. Everything about this staging is measured, even its most tragic aspects.
Certainly the skill of these four actors in presenting honest and truthful characters, and Simon Levy’s skill at keeping them intertwining with each other as the conversation switches sides, will have you looking at your own behavior in relationships with piercing insight, especially for those of us walking that same line between “do we or don’t we” from many sides of the same argument. Be prepared to be amazed at the intense and utterly heartbreaking situations, perfectly scripted, acted and directed by this brilliant team, which arise as the question of legal guardianship surfaces. And bring Kleenex. And walk away in awe of this outstanding production sure to be a hit at next year’s Ovation Awards.
Avoiding Lifetime Movie-style clichés every step of the way, and guaranteed to leave you profoundly touched and moved, Daniel’s Husband’s Southern California Premiere at the Fountain is not to be missed.
The Fountain Theatre's Southern California premiere of DANIEL'S HUSBAND has brought together a not-oft-enough, ideal convergence of uniformly talent of talents - with witty, realistic, heart-rendering dialogue by playwright Michael McKeever; sturdy, even-paced directing by Simon Levy; first-rate technical elements; and a pitch, pitch-perfect cast of five actors, each at the top of their individual games.
If you are not moved by this exquisitely written, superbly directed (by Simon Levy ) and excellently performed by the entire cast, your heart is frozen somewhere up in Antarctica!
these are some of the finest actors in LA and they not only keep things together - they make it all terribly touching. And make small silent moments speak volumes. This is the kind of acting that make intimate theater special. You're not going to see a cast this good in a space this small in other cities.
So laugh with the first half, cry or cringe with the second half - but enjoy these actors.
Much of the first half of this intermission-less work plays out like a tempest in a teapot…..Things do change, however, in ways that reflect the shortsightedness and lack of understanding that many people have of their relative good fortune, and of the ways their lack of insight can sabotage their lives.
Even when we can see where the play’s going, getting swept up in its emotion is easy. And despite its polemics and forced means of delivery, it excels in getting us to reconsider our individual perspectives and prejudices.
Director Simon Levy skillfully provides a balanced and evenhanded touch at the lighthearted and charming outset, but when Daniel's fate has to be decided, he gives the actors space to explore the realism of the situation with empathy and believability. His emphasis on the multi-dimensional nature of the characters adds to the thoughtful import of the story...
This is a play that resonates long after the final moments. McKeever follows the dramatic ending with a flashback that allows the audience to revisit Daniel and Mitchell in a sweeter moment. Thanks to the fine production, this night of theater stimulates discussion and debate.
“Daniel's Husband,” a certified small-scale crowd-pleaser, is perhaps most moving in those moments it expands our understanding of family. The play, gaining strength from the intimacy of the Fountain Theatre and the general excellence of the production, begins in laughter, culminates in tears and leaves off in contemplation of the dangers in putting off for another day what matters most.
What we are left with is a PSA for marriage on practical, if not on romantic or moral grounds. Not that I don't agree with that message, I do, I do, but that can't be all a play is about. It's basically a highly sophisticated piece of agit-prop, a form that definitely has its place in the world, but is not emotionally complete. Nevertheless, the play is so well acted, and the theme is so important, that it does deserve to be seen.