{"id":1153,"date":"2023-07-26T14:53:19","date_gmt":"2023-07-26T14:53:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stageraw.com\/remake\/?p=1153"},"modified":"2023-08-28T10:51:15","modified_gmt":"2023-08-28T10:51:15","slug":"group-therapy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stageraw.com\/remake\/group-therapy\/","title":{"rendered":"Group Therapy"},"content":{"rendered":"[vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” column_margin=”default” column_direction=”default” column_direction_tablet=”default” column_direction_phone=”default” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” row_border_radius=”none” row_border_radius_applies=”bg” overflow=”visible” overlay_strength=”0.3″ gradient_direction=”left_to_right” shape_divider_position=”bottom” bg_image_animation=”none”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”all” column_element_direction_desktop=”default” column_element_spacing=”default” desktop_text_alignment=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_backdrop_filter=”none” column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” column_link_target=”_self” column_position=”default” gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.3″ width=”1\/1″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” animation_type=”default” bg_image_animation=”none” border_type=”simple” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_column_text]\n
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Marnina Schon and Andy Hoff (Photo by Frank Ishman)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Group Therapy<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Sweet Talk Productions at Theatre 68 Arts Complex<\/strong>
\nReviewed by Taylor Kass<\/em><\/strong>
\nThrough August 20th<\/strong><\/p>\n

RECOMMENDED<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s\u00a0Waiting for Godot\u00a0<\/em>for mental health-conscious millennials \u2013 after a time-change mixup lands Jonathan (Andy Hoff) and Cassandra (Marnina Schon) in their therapist\u2019s waiting room at the same time and a local emergency delays their therapist, the unlikely pair have nothing to do but therapize each other. But in the play\u2019s second half, an unexpected new arrival in the waiting room shakes things up in a dangerous way. Sweet Talk Productions presents the world premiere of Peter Lefcourt\u2019s new dramedy\u00a0Group Therapy<\/em>, an exploration of the explosive potential of human connection.<\/p>\n

Jonathan and Cassandra represent two polar-opposite ends of the spectrum of people who pay $225 per session for therapy in Los Angeles. Jonathan is a fastidious podiatrist whose buttoned-up exterior hides a messy and complicated dynamic with his boyfriend. Cassandra is a bubbly free spirit with a handful of maxed-out credit cards and no direction in life. Andy Hoff and Marnina Schon skillfully imbue likeability into their rather unlikeable characters and create a uniquely watchable dynamic. When the state of emergency necessitates a lockdown of the building, Hoff and Schon\u2019s comedic chemistry is pitch-perfect as they struggle to co-exist and find common ground. And that\u2019s the reason why actual group therapy is so effective \u2014 interpersonal dynamics can often create the friction necessary for greater self-awareness in a way that individual therapy can\u2019t.<\/p>\n

Director Terri Hanauer injects as much dynamism as possible into the play\u2019s first half, which threatens to be weighed down by Jonathan and Cassandra\u2019s boredom and frustration. But when mysterious intruder Michelle (Ashley Platz) bursts into the office, the tension rises to a fever pitch that\u2019s at once dangerous and hilarious. A play about therapy is at risk of devolving into therapy-speak (pop psychology terms and armchair analysis), but\u00a0Group Therapy\u00a0<\/em>offers a necessary antidote in its subtly absurdist tone.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>Theatre 68 Arts Complex, 5112 Lankershim Boulevard, N. Hollywood. Opens Fri., July 21; Fri.-Sat., 8 pm, Sun., 2 pm; thru Aug. 20.\u00a0https:\/\/OnStage411.com\/therapy<\/a>. Running time: 1 hour and 20 minutes with no intermission.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” column_margin=”default” column_direction=”default” column_direction_tablet=”default” column_direction_phone=”default” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” row_border_radius=”none” row_border_radius_applies=”bg” overflow=”visible” overlay_strength=”0.3″ gradient_direction=”left_to_right” shape_divider_position=”bottom” bg_image_animation=”none”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”all” column_element_direction_desktop=”default” column_element_spacing=”default” desktop_text_alignment=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_backdrop_filter=”none” column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” column_link_target=”_self” column_position=”default” gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.3″ width=”1\/1″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” animation_type=”default” bg_image_animation=”none” border_type=”simple” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][image_with_animation image_url=”902″ image_size=”full” animation_type=”entrance” animation=”None” animation_movement_type=”transform_y” hover_animation=”none” alignment=”” border_radius=”none” box_shadow=”none” image_loading=”default” max_width=”100%” max_width_mobile=”default”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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