Another Part of the Forest September 18, 2010

So swiftly APT's theater Up the Hill becomes another place, another era. This time it's the American South in the wake of the Civil War, where charm belies ill will and where the predatory Hubbards (here in a prequel to 'The Little Foxes') have made a fortune converting national catastrophe into personal wealth. But that story, as it turns out, is only a backdrop to the family battle that plays out among a supremely manipulative father; a beautiful, conniving daughter; two ambitious brothers; and a mother who wants nothing more than to get far away from them all. In its own playful, thrilling, and darkly comic way, 'Another Part of the Forest' gives generously to its audience; after all, characters equally worthy of love and horror, going after each other with gladiatorial rage, surgical precision -- and, somehow, charm -- can't help but keep us on the edge of our seats.