three girls never learnt the way home

See it if you'd like to experience a work by an emerging playwright that is sharply written & observed & fully theatrical.

Don't see it if you only like large-scale, full-blown productions or get queasy in tiny theatrical spaces.

Also A supernatural incident sits at the center of Matthew Paul Olmos’ sharply observed, deeply theatrical play, “three girls never learnt the way home.” It invites us to look anew at some vexing current social issues, the wildly unequal distribution of resources & discrimination because of skin color. As important for the play’s success: Olmos has given rich life to 4 unpredictable characters, 3 teen girls & an older woman. Several mini-scenes in the play are a few words long or fewer, characters’ reacting to shifts of light & scene. A fuller production might shape them more completely so the audience isn’t wondering just what’s happening. But the 3 girls bopping around the tiny space as they celebrate the rainfall is as thrilling a theatrical image as I’ve experienced this year, & it’s reprised a 2nd time before the touching, mysterious closing moments. This is the kind of quirky, vibrant dramatic writing that Cherry Lane’s Mentor Project has become so good at nurturing.... Read more Read less

See it if While well acted by cast, playwright Olmos' drama of social integration & sexual awakening feels cobbled together & a bit underdeveloped

Don't see it if Use of magic realism causes more confusion than enlightenment The one adult in the cast comes across as strident & hurtful (intentional?)