"What comes across most forcefully in this overstuffed workplace drama is tedium: the ceaseless petty bickering of employees amid a surfeit of exposition about their jobs...At the very top of the play, things look promising...But this is a production divided against itself. Between each flat scene, Ms. Brathwaite imposes jolting moments of sensory overload: a confusion of projections, flashing lights, video and high-volume sound that contributes little to telling the story at hand."
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"A brilliant new play…Encapsulating the cruelty of 21st-century capitalism in one retail outpost, Tyler conveys a gut-level understanding of this world in which more and more is expected for less and less...Director Charlotte Brathwaite builds the tension of this seemingly mundane workplace drama slowly and surely, leaving us gasping for breath by the end…The production benefits from excellent performances…It's a strikingly accurate depiction of where we are as a society.”
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"Under Charlotte Brathwaite's direction, the tension level is constantly on the rise...All five roles feel fully lived in, thanks to the aces cast...A lot of passion has gone into staging 'Dolphins and Sharks,' but a little light and noise goes a long way, and the production might benefit from toning it down a bit. That doesn't mean Tyler doesn't have a knack for writing scenes that ripple with tension and confrontations that crackle."
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"The play is a fiercely comic, provocative, and, at times, harrowing work that explores with great insight the tense socio-economic and racially charged landscape...A real strength of the play lies in the way that the atmosphere changes gradually...Charlotte Brathwaite directs all of this with the precision of a choreographer...It is a great tribute to the playwright and to the cast that everyone 'keeps it real,' with performances that are completely character-driven."
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“The play's roles, as written by Tyler, are distinctive and minutely observed; and, under Charlotte Brathwaite's sensitive direction, the superb cast makes quite a meal on what the author has given them…Tyler's dialogue crackles with street credibility; and the events of the play are generally believable. Despite its strengths, though, the script is overlong. Parts of the twisty plot are predictable; and, in the second act, bickering among the co-workers becomes wearisomely repetitive.”
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“The drama that results from these overlapping conflicts is absorbing, and the excellent cast goes all in…From time to time, Tyler’s dialogue puts his message right into the characters’ mouths, turning what is mostly an extremely well-crafted portrait of a specific environment into a polemic. Despite leaning a bit too much on metaphor, ‘Dolphins and Sharks’ is an engaging addition to the theatrical conversation about the people American capitalism has left behind.”
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"Daily power struggles are entirely credible under the direction of Charlotte Brathwaite, who masterfully incorporates movement sequences...Some of the repetition becomes wearisome. However, there is a satisfying and simple truth to the main characters trading stories about their home lives...Playwright James Anthony Tyler...keeps it real. The language is rhythmic, and the negotiations are incessant. The tiers of struggle are felt before resolution is approached."
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"Flavored with sharp observations on race, the economy, class, and culture. The dialog is zingy, the pace is crisp, and the ensemble cast works supremely well together...Kudos to director Charlotte Brathwaite for moving the tale along so nicely. Where the playwright’s youth betrays him is in the ending of the play. There really isn’t one...Tyler has an exciting new voice in the theater and I’m interested to see what it will say when he matures a little."
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