The Dressmaker's Secret NYC Reviews and Tickets

"Despite such elements of artificiality, Grunfeld and Simon have written something poignant...The vividness of these characters is matched by the vividness of the production itself...Roger Hendricks Simon's direction shares both the efficiency of the set and the evocativeness of the costumes. What he and his cast and crew have fashioned with 'The Dressmaker's Secret' isn't just a work of art — it's a work of humanity."
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"The bombshells come so thick and fast that the characters spend most of the play in a state of shock...If anything, Simon's direction emphasizes the clunky, portentous nature of the script; generally, the women fare better...'Secret' ends on a modestly touching note, but it could have been so much more; in any case, it is preceded by more than two hours of clanking dramatic machinery. It's a Cold War soap opera that trivializes some of the twentieth century's most traumatic events."
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"On the face of it, 'The Dressmaker's Secret' sounds a bit like a soap opera, one that easily could turn into a mawkish weeper. But thanks to the solid performances and Roger Hendricks Simon's direction, the play shows surprising depths as its themes of love, loss, regret, shame, and reconciliation emerge over the course of the evening."
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"'The Dressmaker's Secret' is an important play that shines a light on the Holocaust, Eastern Europe's submission to Communist regimes, and the toll all this history has taken on a small corner of Europe."
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"A gripping new play...Maria is sensitively embodied by Tracy Swallows; Irma is enchantingly portrayed by Carolyn Koziowski; exuberant Robert, the most complex of the characters, is peeled until fully exposed in a splendid performance by Robert S. Gregory...Bryan Burton wrenchingly extracts every drop of pathos...The work is superbly directed by Roger Hendricks Simon, who turns the small space into an advantage."
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"Skillful playwrights Sarah Levine Simon and Mihai Grunfeld allow these scenarios to unfold with such finesse that one is easily transported to another time and place. Director Roger Simon uses his experienced hand to gently maneuver his actors along in this well-executed story, and expertly peels off each intriguing layer with perfect timing and pace, keeping the audience intrigued from start to finish...'The Dressmaker’s Secret' is one secret you’ll want to share."
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"The story is compelling in its simplicity but, in the telling of it, has become convoluted and overly complex...We become impatient for these fine actors, who are working so hard to flesh out these poor souls, to stop moving around and deliver us to the real emotional core of the secret and the scenario...It’s not that complicated, but the scope of the director and playwright casts too great a net...There is a compelling beautiful story lost somewhere in this theatre and it should be heard."
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"'The Dressmaker’s Secret' suffers from the lack of a clear and convincing dramatic arc. There are too many things going on...Mr. Simon’s direction leaves the talented cast wandering around the stage instead of staying in place and having a realistic conversation...In short, an endearing story with potentially multilayered connections is lost in an overly long production encumbered by inconsistent staging."
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