In the Family Way [SINGLE]

Julia Sweeney (Artist)

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 1, 2007)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Single
• Label: Indefatigable, Inc.
• ASIN: B000XXYOVA
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #47,707 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Review
THEATER REVIEW: Grab a latte and let Julia Sweeney confide By F. Kathleen Foley The phrase "as comfortable as old shoes" certainly applies to Julia Sweeney. That's not damning with faint praise, either. In fact, after all her years in "the business," it's remarkable that Sweeney has so completely avoided the endemic industry snare of artifice and self-importance. That virtue is evident in "In the Family Way," Sweeney's one-woman show about her adoption of a Chinese girl. The show is now in its West Coast premiere at the Groundlings Theatre. Chatty, intimate and bitingly funny, Sweeney gives a performance of such genuineness, it is almost anti-theatrical. She could just as well be chatting with friends at a coffee bar. That's a delicate deception, however. Sweet yet salty, Sweeney may look as scrubbed and wholesome as the mom next door, but she has the comic timing of a Borscht Belt tummler. Sweeney is probably most widely known for her androgynous character Pat, which she performed on "Saturday Night Live" and later in a famous flop of a film. A few years back, Sweeney scored critical acclaim with her one-woman show, "God Said, Ha!," which dealt with the loss of her brother to cancer and her own battle with the disease. "Family" picks up where "Ha!" left off, with Sweeney emerging from a failed long-term relationship -- at age 38, a catastrophe that puts her hopes of having a family in doubt. For a time, she toys with the notion of having a child by a surrogate mother. But her visit to a high-priced fertility clinic, hilariously described, convinces her to adopt. After a brush with the domestic adoption process, Sweeney elects to adopt from another country, finally settling on China. Yet it's a far cry from the decision to the event to the aftermath -- the sometimes painful evolution of Sweeney and her new daughter from strangers to "family." The story covers familiar ground, but Sweeney's take on it is rich with the unexpected. Director Mark Brokaw, who helmed the show for its New York run, has the good sense not to meddle with Sweeney's no-frills naturalism. Allen Moyer's simple scenic design consists of little more than a 1950s advertising poster picturing a perfect suburban family -- an appropriately ironic backdrop to the tale. And if the narrative is not exactly groundbreaking, Sweeney's charm and humanism make it not only diverting but distinctive. --Los Angeles Times May 7, 2004

Review
What makes Sweeney so beguiling is the subtle question mark residing in her inflection that's attached to each of her points, as though she's almost sure she's got it right. Meanwhile, we're given the entertaining challenge of filling in the space between her assurances and her panic. --Los Angeles Weekly

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Remarkable intellect, January 25, 2009

By	Barryace (Hillsboro, WI USA) - See all my reviews

Julia Sweeney has a remarkable intellect. We first discovered her powerfully thoughtful and entertaining wit in "And God Says 'Hah!'" This CD of her very funny comedy review focuses on the period between her brother's death and her own cancer, and the point in her life when she really understood what life was all about, when she discovered her desire to make a family. She is insightful, articulate, very real and very funny! It doesn't matter what your own convictions are before listening; just keep an open mind and recognize a person on a life oddysey who has it pretty well figured out. She's come a long way in life and learning since SNL's "Pat" and we loved traveling along with her...bravo!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent - just wish it was about 10 hours longer, July 3, 2008

By	K. Pollinger (San Ramon, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

In the Family Way is a fantastic recording- I laughed, I cried, I had to pull over to the side of the road in both cases because neither was a chuckle or a few tears. Julia Sweeney knows how to get right into your heart - her humor is smart, to the point, her storytelling just pulls you in and before you know it you are right there with her.

I would also recommend In the Family Way to any family that has gone through an international adoption, specifically from China. Julia really captures that experience here!

4.0 out of 5 stars In a Family Way, May 20, 2009

By	Edgar L. Smith (Heath, Texas United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I really enjoyed Julia's "In a Family Way." However, the subject matter wasn't quiet as enjoyable as "God said, HA", or "Letting go of God." I will be looking forward to future work.