“‘Linda,’ directed with faltering intensity by Lynne Meadow, certainly doesn’t lack for gristly parts for actresses to chew and choke on…As the plot thickens to the point of clotting, you can’t accuse Ms. Skinner of not connecting the dots of either her themes or her story lines…But the cause-and-effect links are presented so baldly and explicitly, they might belong to one of Linda’s PowerPoint presentations.”
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“Penelope Skinner’s 'Linda' raises important questions with bracing rhetorical force, and Lynne Meadow’s MTC production has two huge assets: Walt Spangler’s stunner of a rotating set...and, especially, Dee’s superb turn as the title character, at once indomitable and vulnerable...Skinner pushes the story into ‘King Lear’ territory in the play’s second half, and the engineering is sometimes too obvious. But the play, flawed like Linda, demands to be seen.”
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“A subject familiar to fans of, say, the late Wendy Wasserstein, is given fresh oxygen in a narrative that adds some layers of complexity and topicality to one of the defining issues of our time…Skinner stacks the deck against Linda so thoroughly that her inevitable–and barely credible–breakdown at a Swan event may strike some as just deserts...The play has been spiffily mounted…The cast couldn’t be better, and Dee...powers through the play with appealing élan.”
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“A feisty feminist play…Well-cast and briskly directed by Lynne Meadow, the production is a bittersweet rallying cry for women who become invisible—and totally irrelevant—when they turn 50…The scribe is not only heartlessly funny, she’s also bluntly realistic, so it’s obvious that the moment of reckoning is coming for Linda...While the playwright’s second-act strategy for getting Linda’s mojo back is seriously flawed, the final scene is one fine piece of writing.”
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“Sometimes sad, sometimes funny and always wildly entertaining...Janie Dee’s dazzling performance in this work is nothing less than a tour de force…For all its provocative points about the daunting obstacles faced by older women, the play proves too convoluted and overstuffed for its own good…The thematic sprawl becomes detrimental…Still, the writing is consistently sharp and insightful, and, under the skillful direction of Lynne Meadow, the talented cast, makes the most of it.”
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"A perceptive drama...MTC's absorbing production felt like a mirror reflecting on us all...The play is overly plotted but engaging nonetheless, as Linda's happy home and job start to unravel...At the center of it all is a bravura performance by Janie Dee. Displaying an impressive range from headstrong to heedless, she hits a raw nerve...'Linda' is somewhat melodramatic and feels contrived in spots. But the takeaway is powerful."
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“Chock-full of a great many incredibly exciting moments (and two electrifying central performances from Dee and Griggs), ‘Linda’ comes close to being the real deal, but ultimately sinks under the weight of its own impressive ambition…With the exception of Ikeda, the rest of the company fares less well, stuck in the middle of overstuffed story lines...Still, so much of the experience is fitfully exciting and thought-provoking enough that 'Linda' sticks with you after the curtain comes down.”
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"Sometimes it gets a bit didactic, especially when coded sexist language is overstated, but Skinner's characters are very well presented and her dialogue easily glides from witty and entertaining to realistically somber...'Linda' solidifies Skinner's position as an interesting dramatic voice from overseas that needs to be heard more frequently on this shore. And any play that can bring Janie Dee back in a sensationally commanding and clever performance should receive first-class passage."
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