Genius is a word thrown around loosely in today’s society, a tag that’s nearly useless thanks to this ubiquity. But every once in awhile, a story comes along about a person who seems to epitomize what the word meant, once upon a time. Something in the story of Walter L. Shaw, a telecommunications wizard — the man who developed call forwarding and other options — and his son Walter T. Shaw, a jewel thief who turned to crime after watching his father’s life fall apart in the face of corporate stonewalling, intrigued writer-director Gregory Marquette. And with Genius On Hold, he has created a reminder of the power of true genius on full display. Now open at Esquire Theatre. (PG) Not screened in time for review
This article appears in Apr 17-23, 2013.