"The open-faced Mr. Steggert once again brings disquieting shadows to his naturally sunny presence. 'Boy' could use more of such shading...Given the difficulty of relating a multilayered tale that encompasses many years, Ms. Ziegler’s script—and Linsay Firman’s direction—are admirably comprehensible. But it often feels like the work of a scrupulous schoolteacher, eager to introduce a potentially off-putting but important topic to uninformed students without frightening them."
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"Ziegler takes a delicate, restrained approach to her provocative subject matter. Running a mere 90 minutes, the play seems reluctant to delve too deeply into the myriad complexities of its main character's plight...The nature vs. nurture debate is a fascinating one...But 'Boy' fails to wrestle with the issue successfully, too often content to tell rather than show...Still, the play is moving in spots, thanks to the inherent pathos of the situation and Steggert's deeply felt performance."
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"'Boy' is the kind of play that unexpectedly grows on you. An indisputably fascinating subject certainly helps with that...With uncommon empathy and startling insight, 'Boy' gets to the heart of the conflict between medicine and science, in which the trial-and-error methods of the latter don't necessarily coincide with the Hippocratic mandate of the former."
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"'Boy' is filled with touching and powerful moments…For all its fascinating aspects, however, 'Boy,' on its glide path to a happy-ish ending, hedges its bets in a number of ways…Under Linsay Firman's sensitive direction, a strong cast does get at some of the deeper emotions only hinted at in the script…'Boy' certainly gives one plenty to think about, but in dealing with the most profound and displacing emotions that one can feel it ends up being surprisingly placid."
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"Already a chief contender for the most insightful, gut-wrenching, and beautiful play of 2016...Even through Ziegler leaps frantically about in time, she keeps the thread of narrative so steady that you can't lose it - you can only lose yourself in the tapestry of heartbreak that's woven as a result...Every member of the cast is sumptuously honest in their portrayals...Expect it to be a long while before there's another play more rewarding, more moving, and more magical than 'Boy.'"
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"It's a fascinating story and smartly structured...'Boy' would risk descending into the weepy Lifetime TV genre without Bobby Steggert's richly nuanced performance...Linsay Firman steers the rest of the cast to do their best with their roles. It's perhaps unfair to fault her or Paul Niebanck for failing to make Doctor Barnes come off less creepy and manipulative. "
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"A fascinating and poignant play... Ziegler brilliantly dramatizes this profound situation in a series of crisp scenes inhabited by fully rendered characters...Linsay Firman’s arresting direction is an exemplary unison of physical staging and perfect performances. Ms. Firman ably presents the material with striking visual results and emotional resonance...That such difficult material has been put on the stage so successfully is a testament to the accomplished talents involved.'"
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"'Boy' is an important play calling into focus research that suggested that core gender identity becomes fully formed by age 3...The play is directed by Linsay Firman, who diligently moves the quick scenes forward and back..But 90 minutes doesn’t leave much time to delve deeper. So, at times, the feeling is that of an academic lesson in gender identity. But 90 minutes is worth your time to see Steggert’s fine performance as he ebbs and flows between his characters."
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