“Kennedy has come up with a doozie of a deus ex machina for her initially meandering, ultimately rewarding family drama...These tribulations are spelled out through a series of scenes unfolding during the play’s first half. However, the continual shifting of locales and the brevity of the scenes themselves, lend the storytelling a choppy, remote feeling, Things, however, come together wonderfully with breathtaking intensity in the play’s second half."
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"Under Gordon Edelstein’s controlled direction, the many scenes have a cumulative effect so that by the final curtain, we feel part of this family...This all could have played out as a colorful soap opera were it not for the very detailed work of Meghan Kennedy...Her talent for characterization is evident throughout, and if there is any lack in this warm family comedy, it is in its lack of structure...It is, in total, a praiseworthy paean to the feminist movement."
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"Kennedy seems to be trying to cram all the plays she wants to write into one story, which produces an exciting mixture of elements but also badly dissipates focus and fractures narrative confusingly...Full of interest, the play is also full of head-scratching anomalies...Gordon Edelstein’s production works, with only occasional hints of struggle, to harness the play’s constant shifts of topic, scene, and narrative. He gets generally fine performances."
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“In ‘Napoli, Brooklyn’ playwright Meghan Kennedy creates the vivid ongoing life of Brooklyn in the 1960s…Shades of Neil Simon’s Brooklyn stories and Arthur Miller’s 'A View from the Bridge' infuse Kennedy’s stinging sense of realism. Yet her voice is unique…Director Gordon Edelstein has built a tight ensemble…Kennedy sets her sights well beyond the family drama and the violence that infuses it.”
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“Kennedy’s characters are tender, bold, brave, and daring. Director Gordon Edelstein creates an atmosphere that is authentic, honest, and real. The tumultuous events of the play are emotionally riveting, and the message will touch your heart...This entire cast is superb…If you want to see a heartwarming story that will move you and leave you with a message of strength and endurance, this is the play to see.”
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“Park Slope circa 1960 is a vanished world, one which is movingly recreated in this production…A coming-of-age tale touching on freshly resonant issues of integration and assimilation…Alyssa Bresnahan delivers a poignant and at times funny performance as the matriarch…The disparate script occasionally plods, particularly early on, but after a quite literally explosive end to act one, the pace picks up appreciably…After a halting start, 'Napoli, Brooklyn' eventually finds its footing.”
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"Fiery and emotionally heartbreaking...The acting in the production is outstanding...You do care very much about each character in this play. This family could be Irish, Jewish, or any other ethnicity...Because of the deep issues each of the characters possess, it becomes a bit overwhelming as the stories either need more time or there needs to be fewer stories to inhale. You care about these characters and want to see complete resolution. The second act is a powerhouse in many ways."
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"A sweet coming-of-age story...The cast is terrific...Each actor in their own way creates a three-dimensional character...Edelstein’s excellent direction keeps the play moving...Kennedy’s dialogue seems unrealistic at times, but has a lot of heart. This stereotypical drama is also an intimate portrait of the immigrant working-class life, though it seems more like a Hallmark TV movie than a major Off-Broadway play."
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