Cultural nostalgia and myopia tend to make family psychodramas seem like a symptom of modern malaise as “discovered” by Mr. Freud and dramatized by Mr. Allen. Tony Kushner reminds us that intergenerational conflicts are timeless in his adaptation of Pierre Corneille’s 17th-century play The Illusion. Kushner’s reprisal of the original deals with an ailing man’s attempt to understand his estranged son. The playwright’s adaptation of Corneille’s work is multifaceted and highly stylized; a few reviewers have compared it to Shakespeare’s The Tempest. However, amidst all the smoke, magic and mirrors is plenty of insight about human relationships. Directed by Amherst College senior William Cranch.
Feb. 14-16, 8 p.m., free, Holden Theater, Amherst College, 100 Boltwood
Ave., (413) 542-2277, www.amherst.edu.
