"An absorbing if somewhat unfocused drama...At its best and most sophisticated when it examines the attraction that extreme and graphic reports of sexual assault hold, as opposed to blurrier, more commonplace narratives...The play is less adept in clarifying its own story...The ways that it entwines facts and fiction aren’t always productive...Some of the performances are keen and nuanced...others are more caricatured."
Read more
"Writing about real tragedy has its dangers...The savvy playwright Kim Davies comes to 'Stet' fully aware of the pitfalls ahead. She points to them, skirts them, but her caution has its costs...'Stet' is an Ibsenite problem-drama, and Davies's world seems correspondingly, even appropriately, thin...'Stet' may simply be a case of too many cooks turning the recipe mild...Here what remains of the original truth is interesting, but it hasn't yet been turned into a good enough lie."
Read more
"While there are enough ethical dilemmas in 'Stet' to chew on for several lifetimes, there is nothing innately theatrical about the play that requires it live on a stage...We may pride ourselves on our depth of empathy as individuals who would choose to attend a play that deals with the difficult subject of rape. But for at least a moment, there's not much that differentiates us from the eavesdropping rubberneckers who will soon be reading Erika's tell-all for their fleeting entertainment."
Read more
“'Stet' is a slippery piece of work, so narrowly conceived that much of the time one hardly knows what to think--or, for that matter, where the play is headed...In any case, Speciale's production has a lot going for it, beginning with Kuritsky...In the end, ‘Stet’ suffers from comparisons to its source material...The situation it presents is too sketchy, too inconclusive to be satisfying. I keep thinking that what happens to Erika next is more interesting than what Davies has chosen to show us.”
Read more
"It's Kuritsky's fiery tenacity and the pulse-stopping intensity with which she pairs it that fuels the evening...The problem with ‘Stet’ isn't what it contains - it's what it lacks...The result is a lifeless tribute to a person who already has all our sympathy and thus has nothing to teach us or any additional way to get us to emotionally engage...In ‘Stet’, there are no people other than Erika: just objects to be pushed around to make all-too-familiar points.”
Read more
"An earnest, well-acted but relatively inert drama...The dialogue is informative but it is periodically didactic. Revelatory details about each character’s personal conflicts and past behavior that bears upon the plot come across at times as mechanical...Tony Speciale has expertly staged the scenes with precision as well as proficiently integrated the design elements…Though fitfully interesting chiefly due to the performances, 'STET' plods straightforwardly rather than crackles."
Read more
"'Stet' succeeds in tackling an emotional and controversial issue in a nuanced manner. Kim Davies’ script turns the case into an enthralling story that held my attention from start to finish...Each cast member gives believability to their character’s emotional turns...This production successfully tackles a difficult social issue of grave importance without becoming overly preachy and didactic or creating maudlin characters.”
Read more
"'Stet' is a carefully crafted, beautifully executed play that deals with campus rape and its aftermath...Bruce Mackenzie is nigh on perfect as Phil, the editor, bringing just the right balance of hard-nosed newsman, understanding employer, and sensitive father-figure. He brings a rare verisimilitude to the stage...The spare production is most effective...The less-than satisfying ending is just what it should be, proving the validity of the victims’ fears."
Read more