“Rosebrock introduces an interesting mélange of broken characters in her new play...As multidimensional and multi-leveled as these characters are, the playwright never allows them to develop fully...Rosebrock chooses to tackle a myriad of relevant and important themes...Although not one of these themes receives an exhaustive exploration...Magar directs with acute care allowing each actor to explore their character’s conflicts and the resolution of those conflicts."
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"A comedy that morphs into an intensely acted drama...Ireland’s remarkable performance brings out the full range and force of Alison’s personality with every gesture and expression. And she is not alone. Rosebrock’s script feels flawed at times in two contrary ways — sometimes aimlessly meandering, sometimes abruptly implausible. But under the direction of Taibi Magar, the production serves as a stellar showcase for some riveting acting by all six members of the cast."
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"'Blue Ridge' shares with its predecessors several thematic concerns…as well as an offbeat female lead. However, it mostly flounders in a haze of thickly authentic hillbilly accents, tediously laconic characters, tenuously amusing repartee, and thinly contrived plotting…Alison is another of the edgy, emotionally vulnerable, volatile women that have made Marin a…critics' favorite…Taibi Magar…is unable to invest this material with life, or to make organically credible its more 'dramatic' scenes."
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"Brave. Raw. Truthful. Compelling. These adjectives have been applied with unusual consistency to the work of actress Marin Ireland for nearly 20 years, so it should be far from surprising that they prove, once again, to be absolutely fitting when describing her performance as Alison, a woman with serious issues of anger, self-esteem and narcissism, in Abby Rosebrock's ultimately harrowing drama 'Blue Ridge.'"
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"Few actresses can wring as many variations on self-indulgent despair as Marin Ireland...Her interactions with her fellow participants and the group’s facilitators form the backbone of Rosebrock’s prickly and moving drama. The dialogue crackles with authentic flavor delivered with intense conviction by Ireland and the ensemble, directed with a feel for empathy by Taibi Magar...'Blue Ridge' delivers a satisfying insight into the irresistible paths of dysfunction."
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“You don’t have to be familiar with the dynamics of a half way house or the protocols of a Twelve Step program, but it helps to comprehend fully Rosebrock’s, sometimes confusing, ‘Blue Ridge’...Magar’s direction of the rapid-fire dialogue is so un-modulated that narrative key points get de-emphasized...As staged, character prevails rather than story...Marin Ireland is pitch-perfect...’Blue Ridge’ captures aspects of residential recovery programs with remarkable verisimilitude.”
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“A character-driven drama...Even if ‘Blue Ridge’ is lacking razor-sharp wit and stunning surprises...Rosebrock succeeds in creating six well-rounded characters with believable flaws and inescapable fates. There are few explosions to be found here, but the simmering tensions brought to bear by a strong ensemble of actors under the tight direction of Taibi Magar provide a satisfying status quo; they are a happy indication of the playwright’s continuing growth."
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"Beautifully articulated, extremely wise play...Rosebrock sets her plot going in an impressive blend of humor, pathos, theatrics, surprise and heady dramatic spice...Interpersonal eruptions unfold and mount in increasingly incendiary scenes that underline Rosebrock’s command of psychological complexities...Rosebrock’s script receives first-rate direction from Taibi Magar, whose cast members are uniformly flawless."
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