The question Pictures From Home asks is, “So Whose Truth Is It?”
Pictures From Home, a new and engaging play written by Sharr White, is based on the book by photographer Larry Sultan, who spent a decade interviewing his parents, photographing them and having them reluctantly agree to participate in his project.
A laborious endeavor for Larry and his parents to embark on for sure, Pictures From Home not only documents their relationship, but opens the dialogue about how we interpret the truth about each other’s lives.
As Larry tells his story, we meet his parents, Irving and Jean Sultan, who are just on the precipice of becoming elderly, as they are still active, but starting to slow down.
Although Irving once held an executive position in a company and Jean now sells real estate, they live a pretty ordinary life, as an ordinary couple, complete with deep love and equally deep contempt for each other.
Larry, played by Danny Burstein, wants to discover the truth of his parents’ lives through his photography. He yearns to capture their most personal moments, to stop time and allow for reflection. The relationship between the three related through the evocative photographs is often stormy, as the parents wish a grown Larry wouldn’t visit so often and endlessly challenge them to examine their lives.
Beautifully directed by Bartlett Sher, it is refreshing to see this accomplished photographer’s journey unfold on stage, utilizing photos that he took of his parents, and dramatized in such a brilliant way.
The interaction between Burstein and co-stars Nathan Lane and Zoe Wanamaker works like a well-oiled machine. Devastatingly funny, profound and poignant, Pictures From Home is a winner.
But hurry, the last performance of this unique play is April 30. https://picturesfromhomebroadway.com/
Valerie Smaldone is a 5-time Billboard Magazine Award winner and is well known for her unprecedented success holding the #1 on-air position in the New York radio market on 106.7 Life-FM, an iHeart station. She has hosted, produced, and created several award-winning nationally syndicated programs featuring in-depth interviews with stars like Paul McCartney, Celine Dion, Rod Stewart, Elton John and Mariah Carey among others. Her radio talk show "Bagels and Broadway" highlighted theatre and food personalities. She is an accomplished interviewer and voice artist heard on commercials, narrations, promos and audiobooks, as well as a sought after live announcer.
Most recently, Valerie produced and directed a film, The Thursday Night Club, featuring pop diva Gloria Gaynor in her movie acting debut. She is one of the creators and producers of a docu-series, Divine Renovation, starring Erik Estrada, on streaming networks soon.
