“ 'Heart' feels disconcertingly generic at times: Anouka, perhaps in an attempt to make the show feel more 'universal,' tends to prefer bromides like 'love is love' over the details that would have grounded the play."
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"It's a tale as old as time: An LGBT+ person realizes they're queer for the first time, and all the happiness that they feel toward finally discovering their true self gets crushed beneath insecurity, shame, and fear that their families or society will never see them the same way again. ... But just because it's a time-worn tale doesn't mean it's any less affecting to see."
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"A production with fewer bells and whistles might have allowed the audience and the misfits among us to contemplate them more thoughtfully. Anouka's play certainly does have heart, but it is better suited for the ear than the eye."
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That Anouka is sincere is beyond a doubt; one senses that, for an artist skilled at portraying other people and their conflicts, it costs her something to admit, in public, how nearly she came to destroying the love of her life. And yet, as rendered, her journey is so interior that no one else involved has any reality… the piece's overall impact is surprisingly anodyne; it's a show with a big heart, but an unrevealing soul.
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"Anouka's play and performance are at their most effective when the show slows down, takes a breath, and uses lyrical verse to tap into the gentle beating of the heart."
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"It’s hard for many theatergoers to comprehend how a solo performer can entertain an audience for over 70 minutes, sharing an intimate glimpse into their lives without skipping a beat. Yet, London-based actor, writer, and producer of 'Heart', Jade Anouka, does just that and more in her New York City theater debut in an interesting exposure of her life’s journey and struggle to find her true heart."
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