"A quiet gem of a play that has been restaged with all its wit, compassion and sparkle fully intact. The sound of silence onstage has rarely made such sweet music…Ms. Wohl’s ingenuity and the sympathetic direction of Rachel Chavkin allow us to read the bleeding hearts of the characters with a lucidity that no amount of dialogue could improve upon…It’s heartening to renew acquaintance with a play that leaves you moved, refreshed and, yes, maybe even a little enlightened."
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"Silence is golden in Bess Wohl’s exquisite play...The sight of deeply unhappy people trapped in a series of embarrassing situations makes 'Small Mouth Sounds' one of the funnier sad plays you’re likely to see...This is a smashing cast, all navigating tonal and emotional shifts with passion and aplomb. Chavkin’s beautifully direct and transparent staging covers a remarkable range of pain, joy and hope in 100 deeply engrossing minutes."
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"'Small Mouth Sounds' is a terrific new play in a beautiful production that deserves to be seen on its own merits...Six mostly incompatible people show up for a five-day retreat...The retreat is meant to be silent and, for the most part, the participants comply...All of these nonverbal clues combine, in Chavkin’s incredibly confident orchestration, to form a profoundly entertaining and quasi-musical portrait of people living under great pressure...Everything pulls you in."
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"Wohl's play is hilarious, made even more so by top-notch physical performances from the cast. The retreat is a silent one, so most of the story is told outside of the dialogue...'Small Mouth Sounds' is an excellent, perhaps even enlightening, evening of theater. Wohl is not satisfied to merely present a satire of spiritual capitalism: All of her characters are real and their problems are genuine. The different ways they cope with those problems also feels authentic."
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"Wohl's clever conceit and Chavkin's inventive and smartly focused direction are in place...Moving this production from a small off-the beaten path locale to a larger, more high-profile location probably accounts for Wohl's striking originality at times feeling a bit gimmicky...Thanks to Wohl's vivid voice and the way the actors make silence as dramatically potent as dialogue, 'Small Mouth Sounds' is a truly unique and entertaining experimental theater experience."
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“‘Small Mouth Sounds’ is an unusual evening in the theater. Not only does it oblige us to listen in a way we usually don’t during a play, it also asks us to consider our own state of mental and emotional health as we watch six people attempt to come to terms – or not – with their life situations. Max Baker, Babak Tafti, Brad Herberlee, Marcia DeBonis, Quincy Tyler Bernstine, Jojo Gonzalez, and Zoë Winters give perceptive performances without having words to reveal who they are.”
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“There is a surprising amount of humor, sparked by the smallest actions and expressions, and plenty of tears...The play, nicely directed by Rachel Chavkin, is a bit too long and seems to spend the last fifteen minutes in search of an ending. The bottom line turns out to be not much more than 'you are not alone.' Still, the pivotal issue is feeling disconnected in these strange and fast times. And who doesn’t?”
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"Wohl’s play about six characters who are attending a silent retreat contains almost no dialogue, but it speaks volumes. It is a satire, but it treats its subject with respect. It is a comedy, but it slowly reveals each individual’s tragedy. In the hands of Chavkin and its exquisite seven-member cast 'Small Mouth Sounds' is a remarkable work of theater."
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