"Directed with ambition and uncertainty by Dustin Wills, it’s a muddled play that tries to tell too much...Nut is — like the playwright, and like the terrific Mr. Barbagallo — transgender. That is not the play’s central topic, but it is inextricable nonetheless as the action shifts between past and present...'Orange Julius' is interesting principally for its perspective, though Mr. Barbagallo and Mr. Payne are lovely together, and Mary Testa gives an appealingly down-to-earth performance."
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"Kreimendahl's excellent new play...An out-of-order scattering of memories from one trans boy's life…Kreimendahl is the god in these details, creating a portrait of real family dynamics far more ‘realistic’ than those in a dozen well-made plays…Wills directs with an uncommonly intimate grip; the cast is superb, and the execution is confident and effortless. If these are Kreimendahl's own memories, it’s a blessing that such fragile things are being treated so tenderly."
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"Barbagallo is an affable and engaging narrator, which is a good thing because much of the story is delivered through direct address to the audience. Unfortunately, some passages get the balance between show and tell wrong...Luckily, this flaw in the script is mostly assuaged by Wills' illuminating and efficient staging...Despite the playwright's inability to fully embrace the form of playwriting, Kreimendahl delivers a sensitive and moving portrait of Julius and his family."
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"'Orange Julius' is supposed to be a play, and what Kreimendahl has supplied is a lengthy narrative occasionally punctuated by little illustrative episodes. Between moments of real insight, the script wanders -- badly...Wills' direction keeps the play moving fluidly, striking a tone in which love, loss, amusement, and exasperation combine to plausible and sometimes moving effect. Even if 'Orange Julius' never finds its dramatic source, it never feels less than truthful."
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"The production is impeccably cast...Under Dustin Wills' direction, the cast keeps the action moving at high velocity...An amalgam of accomplished writing, effective design, and sensitive performances...At least to a degree, the play fails to stir an emotional response to match its considerable psychological insight or to achieve a sense of catharsis...If this fine cast can't break hearts with Kreimendahl's material, no one can."
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"On the one hand, it is a punch in the gut dramatizing the cold hard facts of disintegrating with this disease; on the other, the non-linear time scheme is difficult to follow, offering more questions than it answers. What 'Orange Julius' really is could be described more accurately as a screenplay or a teleplay with cuts and fades. There is a powerful work hiding in this material but it still remains unshaped."
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"’Orange Julius’ offers a keen insight into the complications a veteran’s psyche and illnesses throw into an already complicated household…The play enjoys extra dimension courtesy of Barbagallo, who demonstrates palpable angst as Nut, a likable, bewildered kid who tries to make the best of a bad situation...What we see here is a family ruined by a war that should never have taken place."
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"It’s as a memory play that 'Orange Julius' falters...Barbagallo beautifully captures the mixture of guardedness and openness that Nut strikes with everything he says. Still, the memory monologues sometimes have an air of packaged anecdote rather than emotional journey, feeling repetitive rather than revelatory. Director Dustin Wills seems to be pushing toward a clear stylistic distinction between the three realms that may not be serving the unity of the play."
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