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The Road to Mecca


Photo by Joan Marcus
Rosemary Harris (Miss Helen) and Carla Gugino (Elsa Barlow)
Rosemary Harris (Miss Helen) and
Carla Gugino (Elsa Barlow)
More production photographs

What the popular press said...

"Quiet, slow and ultimately powerful production."
Ben Brantley for NY Times

"Traveling 'The Road to Mecca' can be a trying trip."
Joe Dziemianowicz for NY Daily News

"A slow-burning pleasure."
Elisabeth Vincentelli for New York Post

"Edelstein's uncertain direction never fuses them (cast) into a whole offering."
Erik Haagensen for Back Stage

"The play, which drags out a small plot for more than 2 1/2 hours, fails to make an emotional connection."
Robert Feldberg for The Record

"The excellent cast almost manages to breathe enough life into the work to pique our lulled interest."
Roma Torres for NY1

"This thoughtful if somber drama receives a smooth, solid production from director Gordon Edelstein."
Michael Sommers for Newsroom Jersey

"A compelling case is made for this wordy 1984 drama about individual and artistic freedom only deep into its second act."
David Rooney for The Hollywood Reporter

"It's heavy going for much of the first act, ... But once all the ponderous exposition is out of the way ..., this 1984 play finally ignites with the passion of its ideas."
Marilyn Stasio for Variety

External links to full reviews from popular press...

New York Times - New York Daily News - New York Post - Back Stage - The Record - NY1 - Newsroom Jersey - Hollywood Reporter - Variety

Production Details
Venue: American Airlines Theatre
Genre:Drama
Previewed: 16 Dec 2011
Opened: 17 Jan 2012
Playwright: Athol Fugard
Director: Gordon Edelstein
Cast: Rosemary Harris (Miss Helen), Carla Gugino (Elsa Barlow) and Jim Dale (Marius Byleveld)
Synopsis: Set in the region of South Africa known as the Karoo, The Road to Mecca tells the story of an elderly woman who has spent the years since her husband’s death transforming her home into an intricate and dazzling work of art. The reclusive Miss Helen has become depressed and appears increasingly unable to care for herself. Pastor Marius Byleveld, who embodies the village’s conservative values, is determined to get Miss Helen into an old-age home. Her friend Elsa, a young teacher from Cape Town who is deeply suspicious of the patriarchal traditions Byleveld represents, is just as determined that Miss Helen remain free.

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