"While Panettieri’s drama has no trouble imagining the end of the world, imagining convincing characters is a tougher task."
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"Reality is a slippery thing in this psychological thriller, which pursues so many narrative possibilities that it ends up in a bewildering pileup of narrative twists. Thanks be to a trio of actors for keeping it watchable; I wonder if they've figured out the plot yet."
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"The Lights Are On," written by Owen Panettieri and directed by Sarah Norris, is a psychodrama that plays with two ideas: are we really who we think we are, and what are the reasons we do what we do? It explores the light and dark of personal psychology, our perceptions of those around us, the events that shaped those people, and ultimately, ourselves. Panettieri’s script and Norris' actualization result in a solid theater piece. It is a well-conceived and solidly acted play whose every minute is worth experiencing.
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“Without strong writing to back up its scenes, the overriding issue is the lack of proper suspense to entice the audience. It’s necessary to be disturbed as well as to care, neither of which is accomplished here. In spite of the cast’s hard work, ‘The Lights Are On’ isn’t suitable enough as a mystery play to scare up audiences this month of Halloween.”
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“Director Sarah Norris and the on-point creative team excel at building a sense of chaos under a patina of calm. Every beat is just a little off kilter, every prop just a little bit odd.”
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“ ‘The Lights Are On’ falls into a common trap for thrillers by establishing more mysteries than it resolves. On the other hand, you may like that it doesn’t answer every question—a thriller to the end.”
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