Sally Otterman	[ALL REVIEWERS]
Companies Reviewed # Georgia Ensemble Theatre 1 Average Rating Given : 5.00000 Reviews in Last 6 months :

The Men of Mah Jongg, by Richard Atkins
An Excellent Way to Spend 2 Hours
Monday, February 1, 2010	5.0
I attended "The Men of Mah Jongg" its closing week and would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to the producers, the playwright, the director, actors and everyone involved. From start to finish, the experience was first rate. As I was sitting in my seat before the curtain I was enjoying the entertaining music that was being played (old standards, getting me ready for what was to come) and I was also enjoying the wonderful set that was built for the production. Once the action started I was even more enthralled with this lovely tale of four older men struggling with life decisions and how everyone was going to work out in the end. The Mah Jongg idea was fabulous as it was something different that was introduced to these men that makes them realize they have more sensitive feelings than they let on to. The rapport they have is wonderful. You seem like you know them and their past immediately which is great as you don't have to sit through so much exposition. The emotional intensity of the play is great at times, but then again so is the laughter and it was that mix of drama and comedy that I really hooked into. The actors were wonderful, all having their moments to shine and the story has such a rewarding ending, that the pay off does just that. Pays off. I have many friends who are going through loss or have been trying to accept grief graciously and "The Men of Mah Jongg" shows how you can come through the travails of life with somewhat of a smile on your face at the end of the day. A great play with a great story and, for once, a happy ending!