“Bradley and Greta share the galaxy of ‘Entangled’, an adventurous play by Simpson and Dean...Their distinct voices are what propel ‘Entangled’ from a traditional tear-jerker into a work of delicate rage...While Dean’s writing is overly restrained...Simpson presents Greta as a figure of unbearable grief and rightful wrath...Heaney’s unobtrusive direction allows us to observe, rather than react, as we wait for the two styles to collide.”
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“Culturally relevant, emotionally resonant but languidly conceived, ‘Entangled’ dramatizes the issue of gun violence in the contemporary US...The play’s chief flaw is their overly literate dialogue...The preponderance of this self-conscious style is instantly wearying and makes the first hour an endurance test, undercutting the inherent poignancy. The last 30 minutes are quite powerful with its climactic revelations and simple descriptions.”
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“While artists have been creating...theatre about mass shootings...few are as poignant as ‘Entangled.’ It’s rare to find a play that approaches the subject with the candor, vulnerability, distress, and complexity this issue requires...A seamless piece that features many complex sides with tact...It's a masterclass in both performance and playwriting. Though the direction lacks some tension, Lorrain and Kautz carry more than enough grief and guilt within themselves to push the play forward.”
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“A truly moving meditation on grief and guilt...Directed with elegant simplicity by Kate Moore Heaney, the story is told in a series of interlocking monologues...Simpson wrote the dialog for the mother Greta...While Dean created the speeches for Bradley...This is far from the first show to confront mass shootings but it’s one of the most effective —and least exploitive—of the dozen or so I’ve seen over the last 10 years. And I wish there were time for more of you to see it.”
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"This epistolary two-hander...tackles an agonizing subject ripped bloodily from the headlines. In doing so it dispenses with dialogue and traditional dramaturgy, presenting instead two isolated characters in search of an elusive peace of mind...The story becomes more compelling as it gathers depth...To some degree, though, the production gets stuck in a web of artsiness...I think there’s more than we need here – lots of meat on the bones, but a little too much fat too."
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“The playwrights take us deep into the minutest detail of the characters shattering. It’s like a theatrical version of a Knausgaard novel exposing us to the most honest, raw, microscopic view of humans in anguish. The writing is miraculous and shocking. They take you to the cliff edge and race your heart. You only wish that the storyline was some fantastical plotline...It is a work that should be seen in every conceivable space across the US...A brilliant staging of a complex work.”
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