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ONCE IN DOUBT |
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ONCE IN DOUBT captures
the self-destructive anguish of a dying romance - that point at which
couples, out of anger humiliate themselves in order to hurt the other.
Harry, an artist, creates a painting/collage on the fourth wall using
blood (invisible) from his slashed wrist and the objects (also
invisible) that surround him and his wife, Flo, in a tiny white “Skinner
Box” room. The collage is his legacy to his wife - his cynical, final
statement about the absurdity of the human condition. Their mutual
dependency is a sore point between them; they resent it just as they
resent any suggestion that they put some distance between them. They
resent it when they don’t flatter each other’s looks and when they do.
They resent the isolated exclusivity of their relationship and they
resent it when another person enters the scene. And they express their
resentment -their fear, their passion, their anxiety, their distrust,
their love - in a scathing torrent of in-jokes and insults. |
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Reviews
“People’s Light and Theater’s premiere of ONCE IN DOUBT
is an explosive, shocking comedy-drama which leaves the audience in
almost breathless anticipation.” Michael Byrne, Main Line Times,
Philadelphia, July 20, 1989.
“Barry’s artistry is definite. Form and content are inseparable in ONCE
IN DOUBT adding up to a statement that is coherent, evocative and richly
entertaining.” Eric Suben, Villager Downtown, New York City.
“Its language is as arch as Pinter, as bewildering as Ionesco, and (at
times) as visceral as Mamet.” ONCE IN DOUBT - Elizabeth A. Finkler,
Welcomat - After Dark, Philadelphia, July 12, 1989.
“Barry has a terrific ear for dialogue, and some of the writing is more
poetry than prose.” ONCE IN DOUBT - Mark Arnest, Gazette Telegraph,
Philadelphia, May 20, 1994.
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“ONCE IN DOUBT . . . is a savagely funny, unsettling work, and is
recommended for its intelligent exploration of personal and artistic
passions and the risks associated with them.”Greg Aaron, University City
Review, Philadelphia, July 1989.
“The dueling dialogue, with its non-sequitor asides and conflicted
characters crossing words in terminal noncommunication, makes for
absurdist comedy with inspired reverberations.” ONCE IN DOUBT - Sylvie
Drake, Los Angeles Times, November 13, 1989.
“If a full-bodied play can be considered a symphony, then Raymond J.
Barry’s ONCE IN DOUBT at the Los Angeles Theater Center is a very bitter
suite, a deadly divertimento, jaunty Jacques Ibert with karate chops, a
stinging jazz riff-the theatrical equivalent of a heavy metal power
chord.” John C. Mohoney, Downtown News, Los Angeles, November 20, 1989.
“Unusually sophisticated... so disturbing I had to avert my eyes and
cover my ears.” ONCE IN DOUBT - Hedy Weiss, Chicago Sun-Times.
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Productions |
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Date: May-July 1999
Theater: Odyssey Theatre, Los Angeles, CA
Directed by: Bernard White
Cast: Raymond J. Barry, Kim O' Kelley, Chuck Yeager |
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Date: June-August 1992
Theater: Remains Theatre, Chicago, IL
Directed by: Raymond J. Barry
Cast: William Petersen/Raymond J. Barry, Kim O'Kelley, Joe Nesci |
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Date: November
1989
Theater: Cast at the Circle Theatre
Directed by: David Saint
Cast: Raymond J. Barry, Kim O'Kelley, Howard Schechter |
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Date: December
1989-January 1990
Theater: Los Angeles Theatre Center, Los Angeles, CA
Directed by: David Saint
Cast: Raymond J. Barry, Kim O'Kelley, Howard Schechter
Dramalogue winner: Raymond J. Barry, writing
Dramalogue winner:
Ensemble Performance
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Date: July 1989
Theater: People's Light and Theatre, Philadelphia, PA
Directed by: David Saint
Cast: Raymond J. Barry, Kim O'Kelley, Joe Nesci |
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Date: February
1989
Theater: Cast at the Circle Theatre
Directed by: David Saint
Cast: Raymond J. Barry, Kim O'Kelley, Howard Schechter
Dramalogue winner:
Raymond J. Barry, Lead Performance |
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Date: November
1988
Theater: La MAMA, New York City, NY
Directed by:
Cast: Raymond J. Barry, Jean Reynolds |
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