But in the crucial central role, Ms. Jacobs often comes across as overly petulant and whiny.

Well … DUH. Ms. Jacobs is playing an oboe player! She is supposed to be overly petulant and whiny. It comes with the territory. 😉

I had blogged earlier about this play A Feminine Ending. Or, truthfully, just put up a Blair Brown quote (she’s directing the play). The review doesn’t look promising.

And then there’s this:

Played by Gillian Jacobs, Amanda introduces herself in an opening monologue that threatens to swallow up half of the show’s 90 minutes. She speaks of the issue of gender in music and language and life; of her soon-to-be-a-famous-pop-star boyfriend, Jack Handel (Alec Beard); of the magic of the oboe. “It cannot be anything other than it already is,” she says. “It’s like the Hamlet of instruments.” (That’s a cute line, but like too much else here it doesn’t quite track.)

Um. “The Hamlet of instruments”? Do tell.

Oh … and the reviewer did comment on Amanda’s name: Amanda Blue … and didn’t like it. I dunno. Blue. Oboe. Works for me. But there was no comment on the rock singer’s name: Jack Handel. Hmmm. Handel couldn’t be an accident, right?

I did try to watch the video clips they say one can watch at the site, but it never worked. Oh well. I wanted to see if we ever see or hear an oboe. Guess I’ll never know. (But I have my doubts.)