“The problem is that you can't just throw together characters without believable motivations on stage and hope it all works out... Too often during the play the characters act bizarrely...It's as if there are gaps in the script which never got filled, and the result is a strange, oddly paced, and tonally uneven production (made worse by the inability of some of the actors to project). ‘Paradise’ isn't awful, but it's a shame to see something with potential end up as eminently forgettable.”
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“Director Danielle Skraastad moves the play swiftly and organically. She also doesn’t allow any of the natives, Puritans, or slaves to become racist stereotypes, playing everyone with fairness and a standard American dialect...The actors can be hard to hear over the hum of some struggling, inferior air conditioner units...There is some good work happening here, and ‘Paradise’ is an exciting, new script that I hope has a long life ahead.”
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"Skraastad directs a consistently fine young cast of emerging talents, maintaining a balance of humor with a serious message about people from different worlds coming together in friendship and understanding to create rather than to destroy...While there is a lot going on in 'The Theatre Made in Paradise,' it all remains clear in its meaning, appropriate in its context, and effective in its delivery, and it’s all a lot of fun to watch!"
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