"There's a quietly stunning sequence...No words are spoken for several minutes...Then the characters open their mouths, and the sublime mundanity devolves into melodrama...The difficulty is that her characters are less like people than parts in a theatrical machine...Big plaudits, then, to the performers who find personality amid the plot devices...There's a story worth telling at the core of this play about identity and conflicted patriotism. Too bad it's been mangled."
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"Informative, noble, and affective drama...Its didactic streak and overloaded exposition...prevent it from totally succeeding...Repetitiveness, tangents, and packing in too much information hinder the play's flow...Callahan's focused staging injects as much momentum as possible to the stilted script and guides the cast to expressive performances...Though earnest, passionate, and involving...doesn't quite cohere into a fully realized theatrical work."
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"Jamieson's script seems to dwell on Brad, giving us lots of information about his back story. But I was particularly interested in the characters of Becky and Dave, and their interactions and history. Yet all the actors have presence and give engaging performances...'Mangled Beams' is well structured and the characters are clearly defined, though I couldn’t help but wish it moved faster at the beginning."
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"Scrupulously fair to all its characters, Jamieson’s script skillfully weaves its multiple narratives and themes of cultural and personal dilemmas into a cohesive statement. There is even a healthy dose of humor to counterbalance the seriousness of the subject matter. As with any large cast play, though, keeping a consistent pace and tone proves challenging...The heart of 'Mangled Beams' shines through regardless, but the show feels like it’s under construction."
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