See it if You adore insight into a time period
Don't see it if You aren’t interested in women’s lives.
See it if Repressed lesbian best friends hang out and plumb their identities. Made me feel the ongoing struggle of finding myself. Inspiring.
Don't see it if You don’t like character development plays where the action is inside the mind. A wind blows away the fog of confusion and lets in hope. Read more
See it if You like shows that mesmerize. This somehow balances beautifully on that line of being about everything and nothing simultaneously.
Don't see it if You’re looking for fast paced or lots of action. This is one of those shows that creeps up into your head and kind of blooms like a flower. Read more
See it if Two childhood friends believe that they have the luxury of time to accept or refute the context of their relationship. Beautiful. Great set.
Don't see it if Intentional poignancy & regret thicken the summer air on the eve of Dr. Ride's fateful mission,marking the time for decision is often brief.
See it if A trove of ideas & commentary that blend into the dialogue w/ chameleon subtlety so that the show’s almost indistinguishable from life.
Don't see it if the only writers/artists/people worth notice are ones making conspicuous, declarative, look-at-me gestures trumpeting their cleverness. Read more
See it if The most natural dialog since Delillo’s White Noise; gorgeous piece of writing and acting exploring repressed ‘80s lesbianism seeking escape
Don't see it if You need high action and can’t sit back and steep in the play’s gorgeous writing and acting as two women try to understand their feelings Read more
See it if you like complex friendship plays where very little happens dramatically but much is revealed slowly through narrative and character
Don't see it if you don't want to think about who and what a person is, where and how life's decisions affect your future and don't want a feminist bent Read more
See it if From tiny acorns mighty oaks will grow. Stunning acting and a story draws you in.
Don't see it if Fluid sexuality is assumed so be prepared for casual but truthful transitions.
CRITIC’S PICK "Getting Intimate at ‘Dr. Ride’s American Beach House’: In a witty new play by Liza Birkenmeier, restless friends find themselves challenged by the first American woman in space."
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4/5 Stars "The route of Birkenmeier’s plot is tightly mapped in retrospect, but full of worthy little detours into character...'Dr. Ride' takes its sweet time to rev up, but it goes the distance when the engine kicks in. It’s a specific and evocative depiction of identity and power at a crossroads."
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"After 80 luscious minutes of conversation, the company somehow has material for a whole nother play, a ten-minute scorcher between Sally Ride (Sieh) and an old friend Molly (Markey)...The play itself just keeps soaring up and up and up."
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"Dr. Ride's American Beach House and the Secret Lives of Lesbians in the 1980s: Sally Ride's historic space journey inspires four women on a St. Louis rooftop."
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"A conversation piece for four women who take to a St. Louis rooftop…its air of laziness extends to the playwright, Liza Birkenmeier, who -- despite her knack for distinctive dialogue and a certain offhand, off-the-wall wit -- can't be bothered to come up with anything like drama."
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4/5 Stars: "A sensitive work by an up-and-coming playwright. Ars Nova, a company that discovers and nurtures new artists, adds Birkenmeier's name to the roster of young dramatists whose future plays can be pleasantly anticipated."
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"Has all the elements of a fascinating drama but as presented by Ars Nova at Greenwich House it is all about subtext and undercurrents which may go right over the heads of many audience members. Little happens but there is much tedious talk which is a cover-up for what goes unsaid."
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"Liza Berkenmeier's historically inspired play offers a meditation on queer desire and repression."
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