Wild Abandon
Closed 1h 30m
Wild Abandon
76

Wild Abandon NYC Reviews and Tickets

76%
(28 Ratings)
Positive
78%
Mixed
18%
Negative
4%
Members say
Great singing, Ambitious, Entertaining, Clever, Slow

About the Show

In this solo piece, actress and singer/songwriter Leenya Rideout explores a complicated mother-daughter relationship in a world where women are just beginning to have their voices heard through art.

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Show-Score Member Reviews (28)

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179 Reviews | 29 Followers
92
Entertaining, Great singing, Intelligent, Autobiographical, Great composing

See it if Wonderfully performance by a very talented songwriter, composer and performer Leenya Rideout.

Don't see it if If you do not like solo shows.

149 Reviews | 8 Followers
90
Great singing, Great acting, Great writing, Masterful, Resonant

See it if You love to watch an extremely talented woman charm us with her wit, humanity and incredible talent.

Don't see it if If don't like one woman shows.

144 Reviews | 110 Followers
88
Absorbing, Clever, Great acting, Intelligent, Great singing

See it if This most talented actress singer- songwriter and musician Leenya Rideout is a force to recon with ! Her work is carefully crafted.

Don't see it if If one person shows or complicated mother-daughter relationships is a troubling issue for you Read more

245 Reviews | 37 Followers
83
Absorbing, Ambitious, Clever, Great acting, Edgy

See it if If you want to see a one woman show with many instruments. Her talent was amazing. The style she presented it was rock biopic.

Don't see it if You dislike one woman shows. You want a linear plot

115 Reviews | 27 Followers
80
Absorbing, Great singing, Thought-provoking, Epic, Enchanting

See it if you enjoy quirky one-woman shows loaded with heart and a multitude of musical instruments.

Don't see it if you're looking for a traditional big-set and flashy costumes musical. This is a little show in a little theater with a huge amount of soul.

305 Reviews | 98 Followers
80
Ambitious, Entertaining, Resonant, Multitalented, Personal

See it if You have a mother with whom you have issues , or like one person shows featuring very talented performers

Don't see it if You don't like small , basement theaters or dwelling on mother daughter relationships

131 Reviews | 46 Followers
78
Entertaining, Charming, Great singing, Touching

See it if / to see a virtuosic musician/singer; for some mother-daughter bonding; if you like solo shows.

Don't see it if solo shows or singer-songwriters are not your bag; you don't want something cabaret-ish.

180 Reviews | 33 Followers
78
Absorbing, Clever, Delightful, Entertaining, Funny

See it if you enjoy watching a multi talented woman perform with a deep past.

Don't see it if you want a fast moving piece without sentiment.

Critic Reviews (6)

Theatermania
September 25th, 2018

“The concept of ‘Wild Abandon’ is clear: work through the tension of the past to better understand the present...The problem is that it's not until these final moments that the audience sees Lynn for who she really is...Slick tricks and musical virtuosity aren't enough for a show built around the baring of souls, though. You get glimpses of Lynn and and Leenya's inner selves but nothing more. Far from a state of wild abandon, you're left feeling, at most, mild interest."
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New York Stage Review
September 25th, 2018

“This is yet another play about breaking into, and surviving in, show business as combined with the story of a checkered daughter-mother relationship. Anyone’s reaction to it will rely on tolerance for hearing about someone else gab on about show-biz perils and how they have or haven’t been incorporated into an overall rewarding life...Under Rothe’s direction, Rideout does sufficiently well at the challenge. There are, though, one or two instances...where she risks dipping into the vulgar.”
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CurtainUp
September 26th, 2018

“A unique lens into a complex mother-daughter relationship...A rich tapestry of narrative, over a dozen songs...’Wild Abandon’ is at its best when it skirts and states the thorny issues that arose between Lynn and Leenya as they struggled to understand each other's separate lives and goals...'Wild Abandon' ultimately reveals that this mother-and-daughter duo, however different in temperament, share a passion for art and have lived, and continue to live, outside the lines."
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TheaterScene.net
October 8th, 2018

"What our mothers owe us - and what we owe them - is at the heart of Leenya Rideout's one-woman autobiographical show, 'Wild Abandon.' In it, the prodigiously accomplished singer, songwriter, playwright, actor...comes to terms with both her mother's life and her own. Perhaps these twin goals converge a bit too neatly, especially given the harrowingly true complications Leenya introduces along the way, but there are so many hard-earned and poignant insights."
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Theater Pizzazz
October 1st, 2018

"Leenya, a consummate actress, was born with talent far beyond the usual, excelling at everything – singing, playing piano and morphing into string instruments – violin, guitar, bass – all of which she showcases in this 90 minute presentation...She frequently takes on the role of her mother switching gears instantaneously, a tribute to her dramatic skills, as her complicated life emerges producing a release for a better, closer understanding between mother and daughter."
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Broadway Blog
October 1st, 2018

"Diverting, gently comic, but dramatically slender…For all its underlying seriousness, 'Wild Abandon' takes a lighthearted view of its heroine's familial and romantic travails. It generates occasional laughter, but not enough to make comedy its strong suit. The universality of its fact and fiction mixture of Leenya and Lynn's mother-daughter story will resonate with some, but there's little in the writing that's anywhere near as noteworthy as the multitasking talents of Leenya Rideout."
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