ENTERTAINMENT CELEBRITY MEDIA COMEDY MUSIC TV CELEBRITY KIDS MOVIEFONE Michael Giltz Freelance writerGET UPDATES FROM MICHAEL GILTZ Follow Football , Theater , Video , Lincoln Center , Off-Broadway , Entertainment News 3 18 0 0React Inspiring Funny Hot Scary Outrageous Amazing Weird CrazyTheater: "All-American" Fumbles Ball But Features An MVP ALL-AMERICAN ** out of **** LCT3 /THE DUKE ON 42ND STREET All-American is the latest production from LCT3, the very welcome arm of Lincoln Center that encourages the development of new plays and playwrights.</p><p> This dramaby Julia Brownell has the eye-catching premise of afemale high school quarterback named Katie Slattery (Meredith Forlenza) feeling the pressure to succeed from her dad Mike (C.J.</p><p> Wilson), a one-time NFLsuperstar.</p><p> The entire family has uprooted itself andmoved to Palo Alto, California so Katie can quarterback for a high school team with the makings of state champs.</p><p> Mike's post-football career as a motivational speaker is winding down so he's focused more and more on Katie.</p><p> Meanwhile, his wife Beth (Rebecca Creskoff) is more interested in her new career as a real estate agent than having more kids just because Mike is now home and bored.</p><p> Oddly, All-American shows relatively little interest in this female quarterback and the focus of the show switches by default to her funny, sweet, lovably lost in the shuffle twin brother Aaron (a very appealing Harry Zittel).</p><p> He ditches pep rallies and avoids his "duty" to sit in the stands and watch football practice.Aaron would rather just fit in and maybe start dating the loner Natasha (Sarah Steele, who gets stronger as the play goes on), who has a slutty reputation but actually seems cool and -- even better -- appears to like him.</p><p> EDITION: U.S.</p><p> November 24, 2011 Like 63 Posted: 11/8/11 02:24 PM ET SHARE THIS STORY Submit this storyGet Entertainment Alerts Sign UpCONNECT FRONT PAGE POLITICS BUSINESS ENTERTAINMENT TECH MEDIA LIFE & STYLE CULTURE COMEDY HEALTHY LIVING WOMEN LOCAL MORELike 51KRihanna Movies Television The Oscars Armchair Detective More Log inIt must be a combination of playwright Brownell having an affinity for Aaron and the excellent performance of Zittel.</p><p> But somehow or other, his dialogue is ten times funnier, sharper and more interesting than anyone else's in the show.</p><p> The parents rarely come alive as more than types, despite the efforts of the actors involved, until a late scene during a moment of crisis when instead of spelling outtheir disagreements they simply react to what's happening and we are allowed to actually divine their thoughts by what they do rather than have them detailed at length.</p><p> Forlenza is poorly cast.</p><p> She's a lovely person but there's no getting around the fact that she looks like she wouldn't go within ten miles of any team sport, much less football. (I felt this even before seeing the video above.) it would be easy to say Forlenza looks more like a head cheerleader than a quarterback buteven that doesn't seem quite right since cheerleading can is a physically demanding skill, especially at the competitive level.</p><p> Forlenza's brief moments handling a ball only reinforce the idea of how ill-suited she is for this role.</p><p> Katie needn't be mannish, but surely a more physically imposing and buff actress could befound to give the character at least a modicum of believability.</p><p> None of this is Forlenza's fault, though her performance in the dramatic scenes is equally unconvincing.</p><p> Blame Brownell since for a quarterback Katie is an awfully passive character.</p><p> Even when she startshanging out and apparently sleeping with her fellow teammates (a situation ripe with intriguing possibilities), nothing comes of it that's interesting.</p><p> Brock Harris is fine in the small role of a teammate and he nails his one bit of humor with ease.</p><p> The sets by Lee Savage and lighting by Japhy Weideman (they're inextricably linked) are a highlight, with a football field inevitably the focus of the floor, a kitchen on one side and bed/high school locker area onthe other and elegant but piercing lights on wooden frames at both ends sharply illuminating the action.Jill BC Duboff's sound design is invisible, as it should be, discretely creating the murmur and roar of practice and games taking place out of our vision.</p><p> The direction by Evan Cabnet is straightforward.</p><p> But he and the LCT3 team should have done more to workshop All-American and find its focus by either tackling the gimmicky topic at hand (a barrier-breaking female quarterback) or playing to its strengths even more, namely the talented and impressive Zittel.</p><p> The Theater Season 2011-2012 (on a four star scale) The Agony And The Ecstasy Of Steve Jobs ** 1/2 All-American ** All's Well That Ends Well/Shakespeare in the Park ** The Atmosphere Of Memory 1/2 * Broadway By The Year: 1997 ** 1/2 Chinglish * 1/2 Crane Story ** Cymbeline at Barrow Street Theatre *** Follies *** 1/2 Godspell ** 1/2 Hair *** MOST POPULAR ON HUFFPOST 1 of 2 Fox News Viewers Know Less Than People Who Watch No News: Study Loyal Dog Refuses To Leave Owner's Grave, Goes Week Without Food Charlie Angus What if They Declared an Emergency and No One Came? Kris Humphries: Husband From Hell? Kirstie Alley Looking Good Bourbon Distillery To Obama:FOLLOW USFunny Thanksgiving QuotesTurkey Day Parade Michele's Makeup MistakesObama Girls Are Grown Up!PHOTO GALLERIES Like 310K Like 39K Like 41K Recommend 743 Like 184Hand To God *** Hero: The Musical * 1/2 Lake Water ** Love's Labor's Lost at the PublicLab ** 1/2 Man And Boy * 1/2 Master Class w Tyne Daly ** 1/2 Measure For Measure/Shakespeare in the Park *** Milk Like Sugar *** The Mountaintop ** 1/2 Newsies ** Olive and The Bitter Herbs ** 1/2 One Arm *** Other Desert Cities on Broadway ** 1/2 Queen Of The Mist ** 1/2 Relatively Speaking * 1/2 The Select (The Sun Also Rises) ** 1/2 Septimus & Clarissa *** 1/2 Silence! The Musical * 1/2 69 Degrees South * 1/2 Spiderman: Turn Off The Dark * 1/2 The Submission ** Sweet and Sad ** Unnatural Acts *** We Live Here ** Zarkana ** NEW YORK MUSICAL THEATRE FESTIVAL 2011 Blanche: The Bittersweet Life Of A Wild Prairie Dame *** 1/2 Central Avenue Breakdown ** 1/2 Crazy, Just Like Me *** Cyclops: A Rock Opera * Ennio: The Living Paper Cartoon ** 1/2 F---ing Hipsters ** Ghostlight ** Gotta Getta Girl ** 1/2 for staged reading Greenwood * Jack Perry Is Alive (And Dating) * 1/2 Kiki Baby ** 1/2 Kissless * 1/2 Madame X ** The Pigeon Boys *** Time Between Us * 1/2 Tut ** FRINGEFEST NYC 2011Araby * The Bardy Bunch ** Books On Tape ** 1/2 Civilian ** Hard Travelin' With Woody *** Leonard Cohen Koans *** 1/2 The More Loving One ** The Mountain Song *** 1/2 Paper Cuts *** Parker & Dizzy's Fabulous Journey To The End Of The Rainbow ** 1/2 Pearl's Gone Blue *** Rachel Calof ** 1/2 Romeo & Juliet: Choose Your Own Ending ** 2 Burn * 1/2 Walls and Bridges ** 'Give Us The Bird' Jenny From The Block's Fiat Commercial A Sham Justin Takes Paternity Test, Then Serenades Selena Jack Wagner Confronted By Long Lost Daughter DON'T MISS HUFFPOST BLOGGERS 1 of 5 Dr.</p><p> Peggy Drexler We Can Be Thankful for Each Other Dylan Ratigan This Thanksgiving, Occupy Yourself More Entertainment News at THR.com More Celebrity News at People.comLike 159 Like 3K Recommend 597 Like 180 'G.I.</p><p> Joe' Sequel Crew Member Dies On Set Jennifer Lopez's Love For Bodysuits (Photos) Cameron Crowe Reveals How He Seduced Matt DamonFor 'We Bought A Zoo';Names His 5 FavoriteMovies Miss Piggy KeepsPaparazzi at Bay byTossing Cupcakes READ MORE Melanie Amaro Reveals Her'True Self' on X Factor READ MORE Tiffani Thiessen: We Have'Built In' Babysitters READ MORE Jimi Hendrix Named Greatest Guitarist Of All...</p><p> Robert Wagner: Murder Suspect On 'NCIS' Roots Welcome Bachmann With 'Lyin' As* B*tch'... 'Pete & Pete' Reunion: Cast, Creative Crew...What The Sparrow Said ** 1/2 Yeast Nation *** Thanks for reading.</p><p> Michael Giltz is the cohost of Showbiz Sandbox, a weekly pop culture podcast that reveals the industry take on entertainment news of the day and features top journalists and opinion makers as guests.</p><p> It's available for free on iTunes.</p><p> Visit Michael Giltz at his website and his daily blog.</p><p> Download his podcast of celebrity interviews and his radio show, also called Popsurfing and alsoavailable for free on iTunes.</p><p> Link to him on Netflix and gain access to thousands of ratings and reviews.</p><p> Note : Michael Giltz was provided with free tickets to this show with the understanding that he would be writing a review.</p><p> Follow Michael Giltz on Twitter: www.twitter.com/michaelgiltz Buy a link here Sponsored Links 57-Year-Old Mom Looks 25 Her clever $6 Wrinkle Therapy Angers Botox Doctors. www.iconsumerknowledge.com New Trick in TENNESSEE If you drive 25 mi/day or less you better read this...</p><p> Insurance.Comparisons.org Travel Guard© Insurance 20+ Years of Travel Experience! Coverage Starting at $30. www.TravelGuard.com "African Fruit Burns Fat" How This Strange 62-Cent African Fruit Is Making Americans Skinny HealthScienceMag.com/AfricanMango More in Entertainment...TOP VIDEO PICKS 1 of 9 MOST DISCUSSED RIGHT NOW 1of 2 HOT ON FACEBOOK 1 of 3 HOT ON TWITTER 1of 2 Sponsored Links The New "Skinny" FruitET to GO: Behind the Scenes With the Muppets Who Has a Crush on Dave Grohl? On 'Chelsea Lately' Wilford Brimley on 'TheLate Late Show' The Greatest Guitar Player Of All Time Revealed! 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