Characters are developed fully enough to provide food for thought, but there are few unnecessary tangents. Howard Shalwitz's sensitive direction maintains the tightness and clarity of Porter's work throughout. He never trivializes the subject matter, but he keeps it entertaining and fun. He allows pain to resonate in the humor, and vice versa. The acting is particularly outstanding.
Rice is terrific as the unhappy, difficult mother.
She's also a keen observer, even in her muddled state. She relishes her outrageousness. Jiggetts conveys Toochie's burdens and his joys, his tentativeness and his subtlety. Clay is excellent as the enigmatic Bernadette reflecting both despair and an inner strength, and Brown is especially convincing as her luckless but not totally meritless husband. Lewis Folden designed sets that are very functional and yet playfully abstract.