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Full Review below - article hosted at:
http://blogcritics.org/archives/2007/06/27/172752.php

Theater Review: The Hunt for Treasure in New York

Written by Jon Sobel
Published June 27, 2007

The Hunt for Treasure, a cute two-character play with flashes of wit, owes much of its humor to the comic timing of its
excellent cast, Avery Pearson and John Calvin Kelly. Essentially a clown piece, it follows the adventures of the antic,
attention-starved Jason (Pearson) and his reluctant, sad-eyed straight-man friend Mark (pun intended?) (Kelly), who find a
treasure map in a public park and set off to find the X that marks the spot.

Though funny, the play doesn't seem to know quite what it is. Godot-style existentialism? Check. Gross-out humor? Check.
Irony? Check. The writing is sharp and the actors make the most of every bit. But their exchanges of game-playing and
banter, replete with shameless mugging and adolescent whininess, often do feel more like separate bits than a progression
that tells a story.

On the plus side, the blurred intentions set up an effective twist ending. Though the action seems to take place in a sort of
existential limbo, we suspend our disbelief and enjoy not only the crazy energy but also, within limits, the vague sense of
confusion. Then, the distinctive and touching ending helps make sense of what has seemed odd and nonsensical.

The downside is flab around the middle. In this play, which is only an hour long but has two authors, the strands of farce
(the majority) and feeling (an essential leavening agent) aren't entirely woven together. Hence, through no fault of the
invigorating performances, the action sags. Unsure to what degree the world of the play is supposed to reflect the real world,
we lose our sense of how much we want to care about the characters.

From the reaction of the tipsy opening night audience, which was full of friends and cohorts (including a lady who repeated
every funny line out loud), you wouldn't have guessed The Hunt for Treasure to be anything but comic genius from start to
finish. It's not. But it is fun, and in Pearson and Kelly it boasts two sharp and winning presences.

Through July 8 at the Abingdon Theatre Arts Complex, NYC. Tickets online at Smarttix or call (212) 868-4444.

Jon Sobel reviews music and theater on a regular basis for Blogcritics, and occasionally comments on politics, world
affairs, and life in New York City. He is also a computer professional, musician, and small-time concert promoter in New
York City. (His band, Whisperado, can be criticized at will.)


Other Reviews

From NYC.com
(link http://www.nyc.com/events/The_Hunt_for_Treasure.942306/user_review.aspx )

5 out of 5

Hunting for flaws in The Hunt for Treasure
By dsnelus who lives in Gramercy

Spot on - the opening night will be hard to beat in terms of laughs.  The audience lapped it up and the both performances
were of the very highest order! Deeply recommended!

4.8 out of 5

Fresh Funny Fantastic
By Butters

I went into the show not knowing what to expect, what i found was fun and laughter as well as two excellent acting
performances from Pearson and Kelly. two actors to watch i would suggest!

Well worth going to see!


Multiple Reviews Listed on Nytimes.com:

http://theater2.nytimes.com/rnr/theater/rnr_read.html?fid=.
fad3c33&id=1154678190449&html_title=&tols_title=&pdate=&byline=


Comments from Recent Audience Members:

Nick, the play was excellent, we really liked it. The performance of the actors was superb.  
We really enjoyed it.
Max