Cry uncle!

As an unusual coda to a negative review, I heartily suggest (for those whose discretionary income permits) that you plunk down $35 and attend the February 16 performance of Uncle Bob, when playwright Austin Pendleton will take a short break from his current role in the Broadway revival of The Diary of Anne Frank to attend the show and take questions from the audience. Then you can ask both Bruce DuBose and him what the hell they were up to with this chaotic, grating melange of neediness and anger. In any case, you'll be giving money to a company that's brave enough to risk this kind of failure. And maybe Pendleton and DuBose can provide the key that'll open a true appreciation of Uncle Bob. But try as he might to get close to the story, this critic felt locked out.

Uncle Bob runs through February 28. Call 747-5515.