Linda NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (198)
See it if Want very edgy drama with excellent performance by the cast
Don't see it if Are not Into dramas with social issues and happy families
See it if You want to see a thought provoking timely show
Don't see it if You only want to see fluff! Read more
See it if You like plays that deal with women aging and all the issues that emerge with her invisability in other's minds. Irrelevancy!
Don't see it if You cannot find humour in a tough subject.
See it if you want to see a great actress portray what women have to go through to have a successful career.
Don't see it if You're tired of hearing about women having to work harder and be smarter then men in order to succeed.
See it if You want to see how women are treated in the workplace as they age. Very up to date and realistic. How women juggle home and work.
Don't see it if You have no interest in women in the workplace.
See it if you're interested in exploring the professional and family life of a woman who appears to have it all.
Don't see it if you're not interested in a look at what it's like to be a successful but aging woman.
See it if Beautifully written and acted. A spot on woman's play. Absolutely well crafted concerning contemporary life issues .
Don't see it if You only enjoy light musicals or dramas with little family conflicts.
See it if you like a strong and well-acted play
Don't see it if don't like strong women characters
Critic Reviews (31)
"Skinner has conceived the character with tremendous sympathy, but she doesn't shy away from her narcissism…Skinner has difficulty keeping the play's subplots sorted, not least because Linda is the only fully dimensional character in the play…Dee delivers a tour de force that keeps Linda watchable at all times…At its worst, 'Linda' is messily plotted, but in its most striking passages it poses some tough, uncomfortable questions about women, business, and success.”
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“As defiantly as Skinner has written her main character, she hasn't displayed an equivalent interest in making those around her even half as real…The point beneath all this is strong…By stacking the deck so much, Skinner undermines her own efforts...The myriad clichés and cringeworthy dialogue are bad enough. But the facile plotting may be even worse…There's no room for surprise beyond Dee's portrayal…The other actors settle for caricature, if to varying degrees of broadness.”
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“The plot detours Skinner has created to establish her themes send the play as well as Linda's having-it-all life into a disappointing downward spiral. Improbabilities surface and the valid social issues get overshadowed by contrived, melodramatic events...While not a triumph for the playwright, MTC's production of 'Linda' is a triumph for Dee and Meadow's handsomely staged production. Dee is a dynamite actress who'll hold your interest even when her character no longer does."
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"The final scene...only emphasizes how hard-hitting, and without nuance, Skinner's designs have been. Perhaps what's most surprising about 'Linda' is that, given its focus on feminism, and given the intelligence of the language, it offers no suggestions for any positive actions to relieve the inherent problems."
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"On one level, the female characters in 'Linda' come across as walking, talking heads for current women’s issues. But thanks to Meadows’s swift, skilled direction, Janie Dee’s powerhouse performance, and the excellent cast, 'Linda' is an entertaining, engaging inquiry into what it means to be a woman today. And just when you think that Skinner’s plot is getting too schematic, she pulls the rug out from under you with a surprising, bitter-tasting conclusion."
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"As far as I can tell there is nothing redeeming about this story or the writing...Watching a woman unravel for two acts is neither interesting nor meaningful. Linda has one trajectory and it is downward all the way. Not only is Linda monumentally narcissistic, in addition, she is surrounded by equally unlikable folks...There is no classical theme here, no monumental lesson. Linda is not a tragic character...We don’t need any more stories of how women fail."
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"The play is rich with themes...However, the production never quite finds its footing....Dee was captivating and completely believable as Linda...After two hours of going around with Linda, even we are left exhausted...The cast never fully seems comfortable in the space of the set, and 'Linda' ultimately suffers from the same problem the plot brings up–expectations...The production struggles to maneuver the tonal changes for a play that is essentially a dark comedy that isn't very funny."
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"Sometimes 'Linda' is a bit too overreaching with the many parallel processes and over-worn devices. So many things from the big list of what could go wrong are checked off. This is no 'King Lear'...This play is not that epic in scope and tragedy. Mind you, it’s a stellar production: beautifully designed, wonderfully directed by Lynne Meadow and realistically and emotionally performed by all, with impeccable pacing and thoughtfulness, but what do we have in the end?"
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