By Lawrence Wise 
                  Evan Wyler entered the Hippodrome stage appearing shy
                  and a little unsettled. He is being photographed. Evan is a
                  "hot, young writer, " and his photographer wants that to
                  come across in his photo spread for a national magazine. 

                  Evan reluctantly takes his shirt off, displaying a
                  well-developed chest. The photographer is happy because
                  the writer now has a new image to present - he is larger than
                  life. 

                  This sets the stage for "As Bees in Honey Drown," a
                  comedic play written by Douglas Carter Beane that is
                  currently showcased at the Hippodrome State Theatre. 

                  The play revolves around image, fame and what makes a
                  person "somebody." 

                  The scene smoothly switches, and Evan, played by Timothy
                  Altmeyer, is joining Alexa Vere de Vere for a meal. Alexa,
                  played by Nell Page Sexton, is "somebody." 

                  The play's main characters are Evan and Alexa. The
                  seductive, quick-witted woman wants Evan to write her life
                  story. She oozes with charm as she tells Evan how
                  wonderful he is. Alexa is a character who should be
                  overacted, and Sexton creates her perfectly. Sexton's Alexa
                  says dynamic in every campy comment. 

                  So Evan gets caught in Alexa's captivating world of fast
                  people who live fast lives. This leads to a journey of
                  discovery - both of themselves and the truth. And in this
                  play, there is no relation between a person and the truth. 

                  The play's highlights include some angry rock stars, former
                  friends and - horror of horrors - the past. 

                  But you can count on well-written and well-delivered
                  one-liners throughout. For example, when Alexa talked
                  about the large population of gay men in London, she said
                  "when you say the queen in London, you have to specify." 

                  The actors all did excellent jobs, but performances by
                  Altmeyer and Neal Utterback produced comedy that left the
                  audience rolling. 

                  Altmeyer charmed the audience through perfect line delivery
                  and facial expressions that convey what words can't.
                  Altmeyer's face seems to show his ability to become his
                  characters most evidently. Instead of just chuckling at the
                  character Alexa's jokes, Altmeyer's eyes would light up, and
                  his face would crinkle into laughter. 

                  Almeyer previously has been seen at the Hippodrome in
                  plays including "Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar
                  Wilde" and "Private Eyes." Utterback also had excellent
                  timing. He appeared as three characters in the play -
                  Ronald, Skunk and Mike. But there were no similarities
                  between the three except the facilitation of Utterback's body
                  and his ability to make all of his characters funny. 

                  Some of the actors had awkward moments toward the end of
                  the play where they appeared to have forgotten their lines.
                  But because the errors were minor, the play should be
                  smoother as the actors have more performances. 

                  "As Bees in Honey Drown" is a play worth seeing. You'll
                  easily become wrapped up in the characters, and their
                  confusing lives. But you'll laugh, and constantly wonder what
                  will happen next. And, no, I won't tell you. 
 
 
 
 

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                                      (9/9/99)

Gainesville Sun 9/10/99

                   By ARLINE GREER
                   Sun theater critic 

                   You are not the person you were born. Who
                   wonderful is? You are the person you were
                   meant to be." So says Alexa Vere de Vere, the
                   affected, self-invented producer, to new young
                   writer Evan Wyler in "As Bees in Honey
                   Drown," the season opener at the Hippodrome
                   State Theatre. If her language style lacks
                   coherent structure (early on, Evan asks, "Have
                   you ever thought of diagramming those
                   sentences in your head before you speak
                   them?") her chosen lifestyle lacks for nothing.
                   Alexa epitomizes the self-made woman. 

                   "As Bees in Honey Drown," artfully directed by
                   James Morgan (who also is responsible for a
                   stunning set of cockeyed towering New York
                   City skyscrapers) is a morality play in the guise
                   of a comedy. Its author, Douglas Carter Beane,
                   has filled it with breathlessly clever lines, double
                   entendres and exacting imagery all within a
                   deceptively brilliant plot that starts tamely with
                   an expository first act before moving on to a
                   wickedly funny, retaliatory second act that
                   socks home his point. 

                   The point being? Beane shows us a
                   contemporary society in which image
                   everything. Substance? It doesn't matter. What
                   Alexa offers Evan is "fame without
                   achievement." Will he buy it? 

                   It would be hard to refuse anything offered by
                   seductive Alexa. Played by Nell Page Sexton in
                   what surely is one of her finest bravura
                   performances, Alexa comes over like a
                   combined Rosalind Russell, Audrey Hepburn
                   and Joan Collins. She is sophisticated and witty.
                   She flatters and cajoles. She sweeps men and
                   women off their feet with dizzying allure. She's
                   also much more than she seems. 

                    As Evan, the writer who falls in love with her
                    (notwithstanding that he is gay)Timothy Altmeyer
                   becomes manic himself. His writer's sensitivity is
                   well subverted by dreams of his imminent arrival
                   at the tables of the rich and famous. In the play's
                   second act, he manages to make the point of the
                   hollowness of fame without substance, even
                   though his style remains clownish. 

                   Several other characters touched by Alexa
                   inhabit the artificial world of "As Bees in Honey
                   Drown." In multiple parts are Cameron Francis,
                   Tiffany Yates, Sara Morsey and Neal
                   Utterback. All give performances that are
                   wickedly funny and on the mark. 

                   The play, constructed in a series of scenes that
                   go forward and backward in time, uses several
                   voices, often in synchrony. All score solid points
                   the play looks at a vapid contemporary society. 

                   It's difficult to feel empathy for any of the empty
                   people in the play, which may be the author's
                   point.