Lost Girls

"The play works well both as a tense family drama and a moving portrayal of burgeoning teenage romance, and is further elevated by a wickedly clever narrative twist that completely upends our perceptions...Under the excellent direction of Jo Bonney, the ensemble shines, with all the actors delivering memorably vivid performances. The technical elements are sharp, with Hoover's sets and Theresa Squire's costumes perfectly conveying the working-class milieu." Full Review

"See enough plays and you might start to feel pretty smug about your ability to spot an impending plot twist, but this one is far from flagrant and, in any case, Pollono keeps us so hooked on the vectors of tension sparking between the various characters (Maggie and Lou, in particular, share a scarifyingly tragic history) that the big picture tends to recede—only to resurface resoundingly in the end." Full Review

"I fell hard for this play...The dialogue is spot-on; these are fully fleshed-out human beings (side note: I dig their Boston-area accents; the play is set in New Hampshire). And then we’re hit with a series of twists that are smartly worked into the narrative. This play runs through November 29th and I suspect it will have a life beyond this run, as it’s quite good with a very strong cast." Full Review

"Pollono’s written a play that’s veers between caustic tartness and sweetness to terrific effect...The cumulative effect of the two stories proves not only moving but also thought-provoking...Under Bonney’s direction, the ensemble deliver immaculately crafted performances...The ensemble’s fine work means that all of characters are people for whom theatergoers begin to root early on." Full Review

"While some of the details were further from reality, almost everything else transports you instantly to Manchester, NH. Richard Hoover does an excellent job with the turntable set, complete with such subtle authentic touches like the framed picture of Tom Brady on the wall. The vernacular used, while some may find offensive, was truthful with raw honesty. John Pollono’s writing is modern, conversational and effortless; it is as if you are a fly on the wall in this New England home." Full Review

"John Pollono manages to run rings around the family drama formula, with results that are both touching and loaded with suspense... Pollono nimbly leaps between the two halves of his narrative, confidently manipulating our expectations even as he doles out a series of revelations that, in all likelihood, you won't see coming... For the sheer pleasure of storytelling, 'Lost Girls' is a fine place to get lost for an hour and a half." Full Review

"Mr. Pollono’s vulgarity-peppered, New England-accented dialogue crackles with sharp ripostes, and his characters—despite some exaggeration—are sharply enough defined to make them both entertaining and plausible. While the setup leading to the big reveal employs the kind of clever trick that seems increasingly contrived the more you think about it, 'Lost Girls' would probably be lost without it." Full Review

"'Lost Girls', like its predecessor, offers the snappy, colorful dialogue of troubled working class New Englanders with tight plotting and a clever twist...Perabo is solidly detailed playing a woman who, despite financial struggles, is determined for her daughter to have the kind of opportunities she never had. She leads a strong ensemble in an engaging, quick-moving play with a kicker of a finish." Full Review

"I won’t reveal the outcome except to say that there is a tricky development near the end that I have mixed feelings about. Two of three theater-savvy friends who attended the same performance missed it, so I think director Jo Bonney needs to do something to make the ending clearer. I wish the actors didn't need to struggle so hard with the New England accent. Richard Hoover’s revolving set and Theresa Squire’s costumes capture the correct ambience. It’s consistently involving and entertaining." Full Review

"'Lost Girls' is always riveting as the revelations come thick and fast and twists continue to take us by surprise...'Lost Girls' is a play that you will think about long after you have left the theater." Full Review

"In contemporary writing for the theater, it can sometimes seem as if there's an undeclared competition to determine which playwright can produce the most dysfunctional American family play out of all the dysfunctional American family plays going...More than anything, 'Lost Girls,' which was originally produced by Los Angeles's Rogue Machine Theatre, is a study of volatile Maggie...Pollono's sympathy for all his characters is realized in every performance." Full Review

"A story that — when it doesn't take shortcuts paved with sugar — poetically blends the grit of reality with a haunting lust for the past...the conclusion is disappointingly neat. Teen pregnancy, financial hardship, and domestic abuse is often a self-perpetuating cycle. A momentary happy ending is not enough to mark a new beginning — but Pollono convinces us to swallow our pessimism and cheerfully take in his spoonful of sugar." Full Review

"The good news here is that Pollono’s storytelling hangs on well-developed characters engaged in a dark comedy...The deft hand of director Jo Bonney is everywhere—not least, in these well-crafted performances. What’s more, she juxtaposes scenes that seem to be simultaneous, playing with time and with us. She doesn’t so much tip her hand as she allows the audience to discover what’s up. Bonney and Pollono are comfortable collaborators. Lucky us." Full Review

"At the heart of Pollono's new and intriguing play is the steady decline and decimation of the working class... The actors are skilled at deploying New England-speak as they convey their character's determination to get at least one step beyond where each had been. It is funny to hear how proud they are that the women in their family have been slowly making progress by getting pregnant a little later than had great grandma at fifteen, then Linda at then sixteen, and Maggie at seventeen." Full Review

"Ambling and ultimately quite moving comic drama...Theatergoers can become impatient with expositional setups for reveals they may not know are coming. And the long opening scene is entertaining enough but hardly grips the attention...Nothing in Mr. Pollono’s script adds much that’s new to what became the default sensibility of naturalistic modern literature. But Mr. Pollono invests his characters with such affectionate observational detail that he makes us like them, too." Full Review

"Pollono has carved two compelling characters to occupy the heart of this not-always-compelling play...If the central four characters have been suavely, even movingly, executed, what surrounds them can sometimes feel excessive...For as good as the second half of Pollono's play is, when the ramifications of these tangled personal histories become unavoidable, the early scenes between the girl and boy on their road trip push their bubbly, youthful ardor a bit too far." Full Review

"'Lost Girls' is best experienced in retrospect. Two of John Pollono’s characters aren’t who we assume they are for most of the play’s 90 minutes. While 'Lost Girls' might be better appreciated knowing who’s who from the top, fear not: The twist will not be revealed here...Director Jo Bonney needs to lighten up their performances. An ex-husband and a boyfriend are so verbally battered and shat on by these women that they could qualify for FEMA." Full Review