Switzerland

“With incisive dialogue, excellent staging, and outstanding performances, the two-hander is an intense thriller that is captivating audiences...There are unexpected twists and turns...The performances by Scott...and Petzold...couldn't be better. They master Murray-Smith's gripping dialogue and the sense of mystery and treachery that looms in the story. Audiences will be mesmerized by the portrayals of their complex characters...A superb play for mystery lovers." Full Review

"Saying much more about what transpires during the tense, intermission-less 90 minutes would be transgressing on Murray-Smith’s fun, fun heightened by Gmoser’s lighting and absolutely maximized by Dan Foster’s on-the-money direction...Whether attendees for whom Highsmith is an as-yet-unacquired taste, the glorious dark humor of Switzerland may be somewhat obscure. But darkly humorous the Hudson Stage Company import is, and, as such, is a great time-killer." Full Review

"Murray-Smith never lets one rest on assumptions. Red herrings pepper her writing like a well seasoned meal. Even at the end, you’ll speculate on what actually occurred. Dialogue is smart and character specific. Information is delivered, often indirectly, always with skill. This is one case when manipulation is a pleasure. Hood’s Sound Design is too gothic for my taste. The piece is sufficiently clever to support less over the top implication." Full Review

"Foster guides a stellar cast of two, Scott and Petzold, both portraying unlikeable characters only slightly leavened with ambiguity and wit. In their own ways, they exchange the selfishness driving them to use each other and keeps the audience watching and waiting for one to fall. The wall of lethal weapon collection augments the tension with a hint at a possible death...The ending is sudden and surreal, an expression of love without passion." Full Review

“The most enjoyable moments are when we see these characters' walls being broken down, and we get a sense not just of the complexity of these people, but also of the talents of these two actors...What may well be a deliberate acting choice appears completely organic, a total immersion of actor into character...For those who enjoy interpreting a play on their own, ‘Switzerland’ is certainly a show that will make you think.” Full Review

“Anyone with a love for a rousing game of cat and mouse will find themselves well at home...’Switzerland’ brought to mind the classic mystery-comedy ‘Deathtrap’...Perhaps the time is right once again for another in this always welcome genre; one that includes cracking good humor, knowing sophistication, and twists and turns you don’t see coming.” Full Review

"She weaves lots of facts about the writer’s life into an entertaining scenario about the last year of her life...There is lots of snappy dialogue about writers and writing and the relationship between an author and the character he or she becomes famous for. The play does not quite build up tension appropriate to a thriller and its final twist is not completely successful, but on the whole it is an entertaining evening...If you are a fan of Highsmith's work, I expect you will enjoy yourself." Full Review

"Joanna Murray-Smith's 'Switzerland' is engrossing in an intellectual way in its discussing of writing and writers. Its revelations about the life of author Patricia Highsmith may or may not be of interest to viewers who have never read her or only know her from the many film versions of her books...However, the drama's third act shift into an entirely different play will be problematic for many audience members." Full Review

"The premise of placing Highsmith in a situation mirroring her own writing is…provocative but it falls short of conviction. What few thrills exist come mainly from Hood's scary sound effects and haunting original music, as well as…Gmoser's creepy lighting…The variations that mark the action, with the balance of power continually shifting, incorporate a bit too much literary discussion, although some of it…is interesting. There are also too many one-liners that fail to get much of a comic rise." Full Review

"An editor from a New York publishing house arrives in Switzerland to convince the reclusive and notoriously difficult Patricia Highsmith to write another Tom Ripley novel. That intriguing premise is the subject of Murray-Smith’s ‘Switzerland’...The slowly evolving plot...is something less than ingenious. Murray-Smith almost makes up for those deficiencies by delivering a good twist before the final curtain. Petzold handles the switch with great aplomb. Scott also is a delight to watch." Full Review

“Murray-Smith’s forte is stylish dialogue, and she manages the machinery of melodrama expertly, at least for the first two acts. At the outset of Act III, though, the playwright attempts a coup de théâtre by transforming her urbane thriller into an existentialist fantasia. This clumsy switch...yields nothing but confusion...It’s wonderfully cast...Skillfully directed...Though acting technique can’t clarify what’s obscure in the script...’Switzerland’ amounts to two-thirds of a quite good play." Full Review

“‘Far from a tense, edge-of-your-seat thriller with twists that make you question everything that's come before, it is, in fact, the complete opposite: a genial, suspense-free two-hander that aims to surprise but cuts itself off at the pass every time. At least Foster's production is kind of fun, making for a reasonably diverting 80 minutes...Fortunately, the two performances are fun enough to help us overlook the textual shortcomings.” Full Review

“The actors and designers have contributed their talents admirably, with an evocative set and a sound track to heighten the tension appropriate to a thriller. Although adeptly directed...’Switzerland’ twists and turns upon itself and ends up in a tangle of abstruse questions about whose fantasy is at the heart of the play. While its premise to have a writer wrestle to the death with a fantasy is tantalizing, the pay-off here is less flavorsome than the real writer’s imagination.” Full Review

“Murray-Smith’s ‘Switzerland’ is part of a long tradition of writers writing about writers, and with few exceptions, it’s not a good idea. The subject’s actual work almost always puts the ersatz stuff in the shade, and trying to insert a play between a writer and her creation tends to be an exercise in overreach...Fundamental slackness around both reality and motivation is why the play, designed as a clash of wills, feels like a fight with pool noodles. The limpness extends throughout.” Full Review