Would You Still Love Me If...

"This diligently educational play has the feel of a bad television movie, its ginned-up plot rife with implausibilities...That Ms. Turner keeps the production from teetering into camp is an achievement in itself, but that danger may be what makes the show so nervous about humor. It never finds its tone." Full Review

"Anastasi has set the stakes ridiculously low, leaving it up to actor/director Turner to endow the play with any sort of compelling drama. That she does, almost too well, ramping up the tone to high melodrama. Chockful of desperately played objectives and forced emotion, 'Would You Still Love Me If...' seems destined to become the camp sleeper hit of the season." Full Review

"It's a subject loaded with controversy, passions and deep emotions and hopefully a New York stage will soon host a competent play about the subject. In the meantime, Anastasi's piece occupies New World Stages in what looks like an extremely low-budgeted production. The acting is good...But the play itself suffers from dialogue that sounds more like a lecture than actual people speaking and too much of the evening just isn't believable." Full Review

"The decision by Turner, a Tony- and Oscar- nominated actress, to invest her time and talents in this unskilled play is baffling. 'Would You Still Love Me If…' is decently directed, professionally performed and well-intentioned. But Anastasi’s script, while earnest and enlightened, is so flawed as a drama that it would be put to better use as reading material for a transgender friend and family support group...The dialogue is generally so inept that it’s nearly an insult to the audience’s int... Full Review

"Anastasi’s script is schematic and predictable, the dialogue stiff and stagey, and the air rife with clichés and soap opera. When a playwright uses a common expression like 'pièce de résistance,' and has a writer character ask for an explanation because she doesn’t speak French, you know he’s in over his head. Still, some of the talk about sexuality and medical procedures is interesting, and the brisk pace and slick, if not particularly convincing, performances help keep the piece afloat." Full Review

"What will make this show not as significant as it could be is the dialogue, and the set up which addresses the issues in a rather one-dimensional way. Ms. Turner’s direction tries to bring out the humor and when she is on stage we do laugh along with her.The cast each does their best with the roles they have been given and even though they are not fully fleshed out; at least the actors bring about a second layering." Full Review

"What could be a powerful play with a meaty plot has its strength and contemporaneity washed away by lecture-like dialogues and a politically correct language...All in all, it’s an ambitious play that consistently misses its opportunities for grand theatrical moments, for awakening empathy, for raising awareness, and for questioning of our contemporary gender and identity politics." Full Review

"A bittersweet, compassionate take on the challenges of love in our complicated era…The script poses a number of provocative questions...In the end, there are no easy answers, only human beings trying to sort it all out. At times, the dialogue feels a bit too on-the-nose, with emotional details spoken aloud that might be better expressed in subtext. Overall, though, Anastasi’s fairness to his characters outweighs his occasional missteps." Full Review

"Serious as these themes are, there is much humor that comes out of the dialogue, and a genuine and touching sweetness...The actors all deliver their lines strongly and articulately, even if at times the performances are a bit too quick and careful...The coda, also, is slightly contrived, but, overall, 'Would You Still Love Me If…' is an insightful and accessible attempt to present very complicated feelings and ideas fairly, without being politically pointed or preachy." Full Review

"Audience members will quickly see why talent rushed off quicker than rats from a sinking ship. The play needs a lot more work before it is ready for public consumption. Gender transition is serious subject matter, and deserves a softer touch...Across the board, the acting was ham-handed. If a real doctor were as unprofessional, she'd be reported to the AMA. The two leads were flustered and unconvincing, and their stage work needed help." Full Review

"The big problem with 'Would You Still Love Me If…' is that every scene is played as a matter of life-and-death conflict and there is no build-up to the main drama...Turner does what she can with this script, but there are instances where characters just reappear randomly or meet coincidentally that cannot be smoothed over. Anastasi has bitten off far more than he can chew with this play, but Turner and company give it their best shot." Full Review

"A brilliant piece of theater that ponders deep questions within a contemporary and risqué context…Turner’s talent truly shines through her multi-layered portrayal of a conflicted mother. It is clear she knew the ins-and-outs of this character as well as the show as a whole since she plays two roles: actor and director. It’s a feat few can successfully pull off, but she does it brilliantly, infusing the production with humor, heartache, and a slew of emotions in between." Full Review

"'Would You Still Love Me If' is reminiscent of an outdated pamphlet on transitioning or an overly dramatized after school special. The script does very few favors for the director or cast. Gomez and Brooksher seem uncomfortable in their roles and fall victim to the melodrama...Turner’s command of her role and apparent understanding of the characters and the piece as a whole only makes her choices as director more perplexing." Full Review

"A mediocre play about a very important subject...'Would You Still Love Me If,' though not a deeply moving play, contributes in a safe and respectful format to the discussion we have all been having lately of transgender vs. sexuality...'Would You Still Love Me If,' though a soap opera, dares to bring-up the topic of transgender vs. sexuality, and lets us think about it and does not tie everything about it into a pretty bow." Full Review