When It's You NYC Reviews and Tickets

“Why is she telling us this? That’s one of those critical questions that unfailingly sound grumpy and pedagogical, yet I never did figure out the answer. I don’t think Ms. Baron did either…This is a cold production, and maybe that’s intentional…But I kept wondering how much more sense Ginnifer’s meandering confidences might make if we were huddled close in a more intimate room. Seemingly foiled by the remove, Ms. Reeder races through the text.”
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“With a topic so timely, it's a shame that this one-act solo play lacks a sufficiently compelling plot and the dramatic heft to contribute to a serious discussion of one of the most dire problems facing our society today…Reeder gives a wonderfully nuanced performance…This, unfortunately, is not enough to lift the play out of the doldrums of Baron's slowly paced plotting…Like a sputtering engine, the story doesn't leap into gear until the revelatory ending.’”
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“Baron's script is full of striking observations…The weakness of ‘When It's You’—and it's a pretty big one—is that the pleasures it offers are largely those of fine prose...We follow Ginnifer's progress toward a bleak sort-of realization with avid interest, but the climax that Baron supplies simply isn't as dramatic as it should be...I was never bored watching 'When It's You,' but I also kept thinking it would make an even more powerful novella.”
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“Reeder powerfully performs this 70-minute solo play…Baron very skillfully imparts all of the pieces of information in precise increments...The result is an engrossing depiction of Ginnifer, as well as a measured but clear support of gun control…The writing though is so accomplished that it could succeed just as a theatrical portrait without that plot point or any political agenda. It’s also a fine vehicle for an excellent actress and it has that with Reeder…'Totally absorbing.”
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"Baron’s engaging if tepid drama...As directed by Jonathan Silverstein, Reeder's delivery is deliberate but casual. We believe her. But for all her candor and a sprinkling of embarrassing factoids, there’s no aha! moment: no meaningful revelation or flash of insight. Her tale of Jason peaks in a burst of carnage; her own story is flat...Ginnifer’s character is well-writ and well-played, but she doesn’t learn or grow or catch us off-guard. She ends the play pretty much where she started."
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"Reeder is a skilled performer. She is so well rehearsed that she sounds totally spontaneous. She gives her character infinite texture and subtle nuance. But this is not enough to keep the play from becoming a victim of its confessional nature...It's certainly a pleasure watching Reeder ply her trade. But one wishes she were dealing with better raw material."
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“An intriguing premise, but ultimately, the play’s purpose feels as tangled and unclear as the ‘ball of yarn’ metaphor Ginnifer invokes when attempting to untangle her own life…Ana Reeder’s performance, directed by Jonathan Silverstein, lends the play more nuance. Playing up the guilt and grief felt by Ginnifer, Reeder builds a convincing flow between the many topics she covers. She lends weight to the play’s most introspective moments.”
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"Reeder does an impressive job circling around this subject, mixing in all the other questions, denials, and curiosities that are running scattered around her brain...At times the story, directed by Jonathan Silverstein, could use more drama or try to engage us on a deeper level, but this is also part of the story...I’m not sure if this story didn’t fall a bit short in general, missing a chance to really dig down into something powerful."
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“By the time the piece concludes, we can be forgiven for feeling like we've been part of a grief counseling session listening patiently to a member's lengthy account of her trauma and what she's learned from it...The narrative...isn't especially novel or interesting...While not much of a play,...'When It's You' offers Ana Reeder an extended acting exercise in which she offers a lovingly constructed performance, one that fully captures the emotional toll of Ginnifer's experiences.”
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“Any show that takes on this topic has to walk a narrow line, paying homage to the pain the real-life tragedies caused without exploiting them and attempting to provide insight into the incomprehensible. The Keen Company's production of ‘When It's You’ fails to meet both tests…The character actress Ana Reeder does what she can with the part but it's thin gruel and the 70 minutes it took for her to get through it seemed endless.”
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"Reeder is empathetic and nuanced as a Texas gal with a light drawl and a friendly manner...Ginnifer's skimming introspective search results in a bland play directed by Jonathan Silverstein that moves with slow determination but little flow and no anchor to truth. 'I may be alone, but I am not without purpose. I’m going to have direction.' She sounds determined but Courtney Baron's play does not make an encouraging case."
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