"Watching Mr. Tortorella is the pleasure of this production…The play itself is too much like an extended sitcom, and the issue-based arguments that Mr. Jaffe orchestrates can seem wildly inorganic…What keeps things interesting is Mr. Tortorella, who surfs the switchbacks of Jaime’s moods with unusual grace…Do we care, though? Mr. Tortorella’s impressive effort notwithstanding, I don’t know why we would."
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"If 'Crude' is any indication, Jaffe isn't doing much for the environmental cause; so blatant are his tactics that his play ends up a sermon aimed straight at the already converted. Rarely have the dramatic possibilities of a catastrophic situation been mined to so little effect...The director, Kel Haney, struggles to get much of anything out of this and her cast seems equally lumbered...The title also applies to its dramaturgy."
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"The play, by Jaffe, pits societal issues such as environmental responsibility against the ugly realities of the corporate world and its money-driven agenda...Under Haney’s tactical direction, 'Crude' challenges audiences to consider what is worth fighting for. This dark comedy boldly makes a statement about the struggle of staying true to one’s identity and values – and how failing to do so can be the reason one's life goes up in flames."
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"This isn’t to say that the well-acted play doesn’t offer some worthwhile thoughts; it’s just that its socially important concerns are buried in a playwriting spill of marital squabbling and irresponsible behavior that are more concerned with the personalities involved than the larger issues. ‘Crude’ covers its potentially potent ideas with sitcom attitudes the way the dispersant Corexit dissipates oil into smaller particles; it may look better on the surface but the underlying problem remains."
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"'Crude' is Jaffe’s grenade thrown at questionable oil practices...It’s doozy banter...'Crude' is also a character study the handsome Tortorella calls on his major acting chops to portray. One of Jaffe’s achievements is that in only 85 intermissionless minutes he presents one promising young man’s total disintegration, and Tortorella is up to the demands...Directed with understanding and skill by Kel Haney."
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“With a good amount of things that somebody might consider lowbrow and in bad taste, ‘Crude’ is full of self-irony and little delicious nuances...This is not a theatrical production to which you would take your grandmother. The good part is that all the salty humor is backed up with fresh and somewhat unconventional performances, inventive director’s work and a disturbing drama of the modern generation.”
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