‘The City of Conversation’ at Horizon Theatre
“The City of Conversation,” a must-see at Horizon Theatre, takes an understated but intense look at family drama that plays out in the guise of high-brow Washington politics. The production features three of Atlanta’s top actors–Chris Kayser, Carolyn Cook and Tess Malis Kincaid–as well as great talent by Rachel Garner and Joshua D. Mitchell.
Engaging from the beginning to the end, “The City of Conversation” takes place over 30 years in the upscale Georgetown home of influential and glamorous wealthy dowager Hester Ferris (Tess Malis Kincaid), most known for throwing dinner parties and rubbing elbows with senators and presidents. When her son Colin (Justin Walker) returns home with his girlfriend, Anna, (Rachel Garner) after completing their studies at the London School of Economics, the women spar with dainty stings. Assisting to Hester’s every whim is her older widowed sister, Jean Swift (Carolyn Cook). While they don’t have a lot of time on stage, Hester’s boyfriend, Chandler Harris (Chris Kayser), a married Virginia senator, and Donald Logan (Joshua Mitchell) the boyfriend of Hester’s grandson, are wonderful in their roles. As Anna matures into a grown woman working in the conservative political scene, she becomes more fierce, and Garner plays it to the hilt, all without ever overdoing it.
Under the guise of liberal versus conservative politics, a family slowly becomes undone.
Moriah Curley-Clay and Isabel Curley-Clay have created a marvelous set with a staircase and a stately chandelier in Ferris’s townhome.
Written by novelist and playwright Anthony Giardina, directed by Justin Anderson, “The City of Conversation” runs through June 26 at Horizon Theatre.
Cast:
George Mallonee . . . . . . . . . . .. . .. . . . . . . . . . . Allan Edwards
Carolyn Mallonee . . . . . . . . . . .. . .. . . . . . . . . . . Deborah Bowman
Ethan Ferris . . . . . . . . . . .. . .. . . . . . . . . . . Vinny Montague
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