'Birth' is perhaps more benign to its protagonist than any of the evening’s other plays, and given Adair’s sensible yet magnetic Sara, it seems only fair...In ‘Holiday House,’ the open-ended conclusion is unsettling...Deaver, impressive in her previous roles of the evening, soars in ‘King of Spain’s Daughter’...Varga's costumes and Shaw’s gentle sound design reflect a rich understanding of the era, as does Bank’s assured direction. He clearly adores Deevy, and ultimately so will the audience."
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"Director Jonathan Bank and his company shine in the collection’s dramatic installments...But the pace falters in 'Strange Birth,' a sweet but slight rom-com, and 'Holiday House,' a Noël Coward–esque comedy that droops where it should skip. In the Mint’s production, Deevy’s work feels old-fashioned in a way that is both comforting and a little sleepy. But she wrote with gently cutting wit and had a keen ear for dialogue."
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"While Bank didn't strike gold for the Mint with this particular discovery, there are some definite moments of luster...The first two pieces are charming, sentimental, and just a bit boring in that way mediocre Irish plays tend to be...'Holiday House' sparkles with wit and intrigue...'King of Spain's Daughter' leaves us unsettled and impressed...One of the Mint's goals is to highlight overlooked female playwrights, and with this somewhat sleepy and mismatched evening, it partially succeeds."
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“The evening starts strong, thanks to the spunky and endearing performance of Ellen Adair as Sara Meade, the central character of ‘Strange Birth’…As a collection, the plays of ‘The Suitcase Under the Bed’ reveals a community of stories that hide beneath the unremarkable façade of everyday life. The charming, well-acted evening makes one hope the Mint has even more from the Deevy collection to remove from storage.”
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"A sterling quartet of one-acts...Deevy specializes in a kind of plainspoken poetry that packs plenty of feeling, mixed with barbed wit, into her characters' economical exchanges...Bank's staging is filled with little details that speak volumes...In a cast loaded with graceful performances, the biggest impression is arguably made by Deaver in a trio of roles...One is amazed that this fine playwright was allowed to slip into obscurity for so long."
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"These seven actors play a total of 22 roles during the course of evening, each performance beautifully etched and well delineated...Deevy's writing consistently displays a wonderful facility for dialogue and an ability to get under the skin of her characters, along with the intermittent liability that some of her plot devices and situations strain credulity...Bank has helped the actors achieve jewel-like performances, and his blocking is skillfully economic."
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“Exquisitely produced by the Mint Theater, Jonathan Bank's direction is leisurely and slow, which undercuts the theatricality of all but the last and the most satisfying one, ‘The King of Spain's Daughter,’ originally given four separate stage productions at the Abbey from 1935-1939 and two in London in 1939...Two of the plays end too abruptly calling out for a more substantial length, while one of the plays seems to go on too long.”
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"The production has been effectively organized...To help Mr. Bank achieve this fluidity, a big bravo to the seven fine actors who play 22 characters...'Strange Birth' makes for a lighthearted little romantic sketch...Though the tempest in this teapot won't come to a full boil, Deevy's 'Holiday House' script has the out-of-joint feelings simmering subtly with some very sharp and character-defining dialogue...A tastefully presented four-course menu."
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