The Monkey Jar

Marian Weiss Beverly Hills, CA

Spot on writing and acting! This play is very compelling: about our educational system and how test scores and personal prejudice can get in the way the learning process. Everyone interested in how our children learn should see it!

Mark G. Los Angeles, CA

This is a must see! For anyone who has kids going through the school system in Los Angeles, or anywhere for that matter, The Monkey Jar is a timely, thought provoking play that shouldn't be missed. Great performances from a talented ensemble cast and crisp, insightful writing that poses many important questions and makes the audience THINK. Especially enjoyed the metaphor of The Monkey Jar and how it applies to public education. Definitely one of the better shows done at Theatre 40 in a long time!

Steven Stanley Alhambra, CA

STUDENT BRINGS GUN TO SCHOOL; THREATENS TEACHER--More than any play in recent memory, The Monkey Jar provokes passionate discussion both during intermission and post performance. Is this an assault on a teacher by a potentially dangerous child, or simply a “botched case of show and tell” by a youngster who just wanted his teacher to like him? Only the two people in question know the truth, making The Monkey Jar not a “who done it?” but a “what exactly did they do?” mystery, one which only the play’s “wallop to the stomach” coda will solve. In the uniformly excellent cast, Addie Daddio, particularly, gives an absolutely sensational performance as meddling, go-getting ubermom Judith. The Monkey Jar proves once more what a gifted (and versatile) playwright Richard Martin Hirsch is. Read my full review at www.LAStageScene.com.

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Dec. 3 - Dec. 14
Poems and stories by Charles Dickens, Frank McCourt, Truman Capote, Diane Ackerman and others are interlaced with traditional carols and songs in David Birney's holiday play.