Being unfamiliar with this historic event was no barrier in enjoying the story unfold in "Astor Place." It's almost rewarding, in fact, to know that audiences were once this passionate about theater, whether with the right intentions or not. This historical drama weaves time in and out of rivalries, stage performances and court rooms to create a compelling narrative of it's core event. It's an ambitious piece, but one that presents a worthy challenge for a large ensemble.

Astor Place is a well-researched, ambitious dramatization of the true-life feud between American actor Edwin Forrest and English actor William Charles Macready. Martineau does a marvelous job weaving the threads of the story involving a large cast of characters, settings, and timeframes. I was unfamiliar with the story of the Astor Place Riot and found it fascinating to learn about the degree of animosity between the principal characters and the lengths to which they went to disparage each other. The Forrest-Macready feud culminated in DIS-Astor Place. Martineau’s dramatization of this story is excellent.

"Astor Place" relays the stranger-than-fiction events that occurred between rival actors whose rivalry resonated in different ways with those who witnessed it. Mr. Martineau makes these events relevant today as an examination of the explosive consequences that may occur in clashes between the haves and have nots, the aristocracy and those they look down upon. Structurally, Mr. Martineau deftly weaves together the many scenes that occur in various locations and jumps through time, while the audience never loses a sense of grounding. A lesser talent could have succeeded in this form of storytelling. I would love to see this performed!