What Do the Papers Say?

Here is some of what is being said about Furman Theatre's Moonchildren,
The Greenville News

Students deal with war-time realities in 'Moonchildren'
Furman play echoes voices from the past, reminds us of the present
Posted Sunday, November 6, 2005 - 6:00 am
By Ann Hicks
ARTS WRITERahicks@greenvillenews.com
"It's an epitaph for its time," says director Jay Oney of Michael Weller's 1972 play "Moonchildren," which opens at the Furman University Theatre on Wednesday for 10 performances.

The New York-born playwright's work about Vietnam War era college seniorsis "a timely work for our students facing a war that's getting lots of attention in the news," Oney says. The 62-year-old Weller, who currently resides in London, is also known fornumerous screenplays, including 1971's "Hair," the 1981 "Ragtime" and1999's "Once and Again." "If I were to pick a comparison to Weller's writing, I'd say it's rooted in Tennessee Williams and Chekhov," Oney says.

Throughout the play, Weller's keen focus is on eight students who live together in a house on an unspecified campus. They reflect the angst thatsplit the 1960s generation, whose members either became politically committed to change the world or chose to side with the establishment, Oney says.

A black comedy, "Moonchildren" is about the latter group. Living in a tumultuous time and facing the draft after graduation, the students succumb to lack of trust, loss of communication, and the inability
to be a friend or have friends. For comic relief, they put each other on, says Oney.

The right-on thing about the production is the music it rocks with, the director says. "We'll start with Jefferson Airplane's 'Somebody to Love,' because it isabout relationships and how they disintegrate and reflect the kind of needand desperation that is in the play," he says. You'll also hear the artistry of Jimi Hendrix, Country Joe and the Fish,Credence Clearwater Revival, Crosby, Stills and Nash, Buffalo Springfield and Bob Dylan.
"This is not necessarily an anti-war play," Oney adds. "It's more about what choices students have open to them."