"An astonishing new play...Ms. George has fun with these women — or girls, as they call themselves — but does not mock them. Rather, with loving attention to sitcom rhythm, she gradually anatomizes the emptiness that animates their 'Golden Girls' chatter...Ms. Silverman’s control of the tone in the first half, along with the hilarious but grounded work of the cast throughout serves the play’s intentions beautifully."
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"'Hurricane Diane' works best when Blackwell is playing straight-god to the women’s mounting neuroses. But then the storm comes. As the play rounds the hour mark, it stumbles...In one way, George and director Leigh Silverman have pulled off a miracle: They’ve made a funny play about a depressing subject. But we judge miracles by how they end, and at close of ‘Hurricane Diane,' the water that had turned into wine has turned into water again.”
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"George’s fantastic, heartbreaking 'Hurricane Diane' is a comedy in the most ancient, expansive sense. It’s the kind of comedy that holds a tragedy inside it, plying us with laughter until we’re tipsy, then lovingly, ruthlessly slipping in the knife. Hilarious, shattering, and full of keen observation and profound human affection, the play both lifts us up and wrings us out...Blackwell is immediately and utterly arresting...Silverman doesn’t always take full advantage of the supercharged moments."
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"Veers uneasily from 'Desperate Housewives'-style satire into absurdist fantasy. The work feels strained in both aspects, never achieving the comic lift-off to which it aspires...Doesn't exactly paint a flattering portrait of its female characters, who register as little more than neurotic stereotypes...It would be easier to embrace the fantastical premise if there were a more compelling figure at its center. Unfortunately, Blackwell proves distinctly underwhelming."
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"As told by the brilliantly imaginative Madeleine George, Dionysus is Diane...An attractive production by director Leigh Silverman...In the 21st century, the deity of wine and theater is most often portrayed as a man in touch with his feminine side: a drag queen or glam rocker. George boldly envisions the inverse, a female god in touch with her butch side...The majority of the play takes our breath away, either with its keen insight or gut-busting wit."
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"Blackwell delivers the 90-minute play's exposition monologue with the engaging flair of an ace stand-up comic nailing the punch lines in a tight three minute set...Even at ninety minutes, the episodic plot gets a little thin, though director Leigh Silverman has her cast sharply playing the entertaining dialogue. There's a major shift in tone for the play's final moments, which is reasonable, but a little drawn out...But these are minor irritations within an enjoyable piece."
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"'Hurricane Diane' is in good hands with director Leigh Silverman and her highly detailed approach to comedy, plus a fine quartet of actresses as the desperate housewives...George's message comes through loud and clear, because she has chosen to entertain rather than lecture...'Hurricane Diane' is an original -- a satire that is simultaneously urgent and welcoming, even daring to be optimistic."
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"A breezy, frequently hilarious, romp....George doesn't know how to end the piece and the last 15 minutes go off the proverbial cliff...It's hard to know what Silverman is thinking but the strange, abortive ending quickly undoes the goodwill the piece has meticulously wrought. There is an imbalance in the production between the sensational chemistry between the four women and the relative staid delivery of Blackwell as Diane...It's just a shame the play is still searching for an ending."
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