Somebody's Daughter NYC Reviews and Tickets

"Both Alex and the play struggle to buck formula and stereotype...Adrales tends to encourage larger-than-life performances, which can be engaging, though also a little exhausting...With so many strands and themes, Hutchinson’s plotting sometimes slips into melodrama, while perpetuating unhelpful myths about Asian families and female fertility. The best scenes, which are the talkiest and the least given over to plot, instead showcase Ms. Hutchinson’s dry, roguish, gutsy voice."
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“Hutchinson’s smart and insightful play deftly skirts the pitfalls of slickness…Hutchinson is equally adept at depicting adolescent angst, quarter-life quandaries and sexual muddles of middle age. It’s exciting to be drawn into a multilayered drama in which female characters are the driving force. Hutchinson’s engaging drama leaves you questioning the scripts that women are still too often heir to.”
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“An edge-of-your-seat drama, which is now inducing collective gasps and heart palpitations at Second Stage Uptown…Director May Adrales weaves all of these threads into a complex tapestry with her efficient yet detailed production…'Somebody's Daughter' is a gripping work…Ordinarily, any one of these topics would be enough to sustain a play, but Hutchinson cleverly ties them all together in one deeply satisfying drama. She is undeniably a playwright to watch going forward.”
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"There is a solid foundation for a play here, but Hutchinson has plenty of trouble building on it. She aims for a bright, wisecracking style that, all too often, is cringeworthy...Lame attempts at wit prevent one from caring about the characters, who are perilously thin and often all too easy to dislike and dismiss...May Adrales' direction doesn't ameliorate these flaws, and, in some instances, may aggravate them."
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“Despite some structural problems with the plot, ‘Somebody's Daughter’ is a rich and powerful play that is likely to trigger strong responses in its audience, running the gamut from laughter, to sympathy, to outrage…Thanks to the sharp-as-tacks dialogue, the thoroughly excellent performances, and Adrales' confident direction, each of these strands is fully explored...While the ending comes off as rather pat, it is likely you will leave the theater eager to talk about what you have seen.”
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"'Somebody’s Daughter' has it all: crisp comedy, interesting, complex characters, and two parallel plots that are all over each other yet each strong enough to stand on their own. And this production boasts a cast whose members are immersed in their roles with a passion that’s both consuming and nonchalant…Adrales’ direction is as sharp as Hutchinson’s dialogue…It delivers a steady stream of hearty laughs, while at the same time truly engaging the audience on a compelling emotional level."
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"Hutchinson has fire in the belly about things that matter — the sting of racism, for instance, and the toxicity of intolerance; and that's what makes 'Somebody's Daughter' a rather special work of art...At times, Hutchinson's characterizations tread a thin line between recognizable ethnic attributes and stereotype...But the play's facile moments are redeemed by a number of complex, well-wrought scenes...Adrales's skilled direction gives 'Somebody's Daughter' focus, drive and intensity."
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“While there are plenty of laughs in ‘Somebody’s Daughter,’ it’s no laughing matter…There’s a lot going on here. Culture clashes, sexism, racism, intergenerational issues, coming-of-age narratives, young love. And there are a lot of stereotypes being confronted, explored and exploded, not skirted, which is refreshing and healing…In general I was impressed with Ms. Hutchinson’s insight into and understanding of the Chinese-American experience.”
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"There are specifics about family relationships in Asian culture...yet what it means to be somebody's daughter is universal...I was thoroughly engaged in these daughters' stories and found myself unexpectedly moved toward the end. Alex's journey is part coming of age, and deals with first love; I usually groan at such story lines, finding them trite, but not this time...I was comforted to see the way these women grew and came to terms with being somebody's daughter."
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