All the Ways to Say I Love You NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (134)
See it if you want to see Judith Light deliver another masterful, memorable performance of an interesting tale.
Don't see it if you want a light, breezy comedy or are expecting Labute's depictions of the darkest side of human nature.
See it if You love Judith Light! She's mesmerizing!
Don't see it if You get bored easily or you have a problem with difficult topics
See it if You like Judith Light (which I do), Neil LaBute (which I sometimes do), or one-person plays (which I generally do).
Don't see it if You're expecting a dramatic story. It's a quiet story told in a very charming way by a great actress.
See it if powerful performance that goes completely in character,
Don't see it if uncomfortable with adult situations
See it if you enjoy well acted one-woman plays about the flaws and life mistakes of her life.
Don't see it if you would be offended by deep deceit told from the perpetrator as victim or by innapropriate behavior, specially by a teacher.
See it if you are a fan of Judith Light - this piece was made for her.
Don't see it if you expect a show to last more than an hour (or you feel cheated); are put off by one-actor monologue shows; not curious about weight of lie
See it if You like Judith Light--she's the reason to go; show is good, her performance is great.
Don't see it if want your show to be more than an hour long, don't like Neil Lobule's writing
See it if You are a fan of Light or enjoy watching masterful performances. Light is excellent & has you hanging on to her every word.
Don't see it if Running at 55 mins, it's a little short. Felt there could have been more to the story and would have liked to have seen it play out.
Critic Reviews (36)
"Under the direction of Leigh Silverman, Judith Light, one of the strongest and most interesting actors currently gracing New York stages, is thoroughly convincing as Mrs. Johnson...The choice to set the play set within the safety of Johnson's classroom ultimately saps the piece of potential tension, as there is no indication of a particular person she's speaking to...Thus 'All The Ways' doesn't quite deliver the emotional impact its scenario is capable of producing."
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"Aided by the direction of Leigh Silverman, Light delivers a performance that, against the odds, just about transcends the script's overreliance on too-easy plot reversals and heavy-handed moralizing. Still, even she can't stop us from noticing that neither Tommy nor Eric, Mrs. Johnson's husband, is drawn in any depth...and that her final punishment involves her nagging fear of the kind of event that usually happens only on the soaps—and in the plays of Neil LaBute."
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"LaBute constantly weaves new surprises and complexities into the mix as he tantalizes you...Intriguing though the play might be in the melodies and harmonies it presents, its tone is undeniably more muted. And it's not helped in this regard by a general lack of action...'All the Ways to Say I Love You' may not be a great play, and this mounting of it—Light notwithstanding—may not inspire reverent chatter a decade from now. But it offers plenty to think about and talk about today."
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"Despite intriguing elements, the play narratively peaks halfway through and then grinds on...Ms. Silverman has paced the production briskly and fully realized its theatrical potential...Theatergoers expecting another of Light’s tour-de-force performances will not be disappointed. She elevates 'All the Ways to Say I Love You' as much as possible but it is ultimately a somewhat interesting dramatized anecdote rather than an engrossing work of theater."
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"Despite the darkness of LaBute's meditations on love, they tend to also have funny moments. Indeed, 'All the Ways to Say I Love You' again delivers funny as well as teary moments...Its twist on top of twist ending can be more readily predicted. Though the prose is still sharp, the big trick here is Light's performance: Watching her shift moods...appearing open and ordinary yet clearly complex enough to mix personal neediness with crafty manipulation."
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"All you really need to know is that Mrs. Johnson is being portrayed by Judith Light, which is basically as good as it gets...What we are watching is an ultimate act of commitment by a performer, one that should hopefully be remembered many months from now when awards season is in full swing. Kudos certainly go to the director, Leigh Silverman, for her seemingly hidden but obviously vital role in these proceedings."
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"Not an especially good play...Its central 'issue' is so dated, that one wonders if having it be an issue at all is part of one of the playwright’s perverse jokes...If the actress playing Mrs. Johnson was anyone other than Judith Light, then the show would be insufferable and interminable, a misogynistic soap opera...But because it’s Light, the play feels almost majestic, a torrent of emotion washing all over the audience like waves coming from the depths of Light’s ocean."
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"The imagination of Neil LaBute is here in full effect in Light’s powerful and desperate portrayal. It is ferocious and driven in biblical proportions...But the hour as a whole seems a bit slim as a full meal...As it stands, it’s a powerful hour, an appetizer of complicated self-flagellation coated with denial. Spiraling admissions of pain and loneliness and burden. And we can only applaud Light’s rawness and bravery. And hope for LaBute’s further development of this story."
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