Summer Shorts 2013, Series A

Reviews

 "The real incentive is Howe's bright silliness, as she spins on the Sleeping Beauty evergreen with little more in mind than to entertain. It's directed for maximize fun by Birgitta Victorson and played with tipsy élan." - David Finkle, Huffpost 

"The first one-act in this annual series is “Good Luck (in Farsi),” written and directed by Neil LaBute. Elizabeth Masucci and Gia Crovatin play two actresses waiting to be called in to audition for a TV series. There’s pungent comedy as the rivals spread the insincerity as thickly as their makeup, but it’s also a study in treachery and the balance of power. “About a Woman Named Sarah,” written by Lucas Hnath and directed by Eric Hoff, is a sharp, staccato feat of imagination in which four principals involved in the choosing of a Vice-Presidential candidate in 2008 somehow manage to render Sarah Palin as a sympathetic character. Tina Howe’s “Breaking the Spell,” directed by Birgitta Victorson, is an entertaining mash-up of “Sleeping Beauty,” Ionesco, and Beckett. Though it suffers from a flabby, unfocussed ending, the actors are all fine." - The New Yorker

"Playwright Neil LaBute has an ear for the rhythm of language that is similar only to David Mamet. While Mametʼs tempo is often meant to spit, swear and dominate, however, LaBute (here) formulates more subtle variation of character and emotion. Known for misogyny, he represents the characters in Good Luck with accuracy and fairness, though choosing less appealing attributes to portray. This is a deft and clever two-hander."  - Alix Cohen, Woman Around Town