Not only a line from the play but true! And it's great news, too.
Today we got a five star review from Broadway Baby, and you can't get better than that!
In summary, they said:
Extremely compelling… Incredibly powerful… Heart-breaking
Here's the full review:
by Kyung Oh on
20th August 2014
Lianna is
a young woman with learning disabilities. Ever since her father died three
years ago, her mother has had the full-on task of taking care of her by
herself. The show opens with Lianna throwing a tantrum, while her mother tries
to coax her into getting ready for her first day at a local college, where she
is to take drama classes.
It is an extremely
compelling depiction of the strength of a beautiful character who finds her
path to self-actualisation in spite of her disability.
The show
alternates between scenes set at Lianna’s home with her mother and the ones set
in the drama classes at college. The drama class discuss Macbeth
together and rehearse for an upcoming performance. The supporting cast that
play Lianna’s classmates and her teacher put on an excellent performance. The
classmates show a lovable joy for acting and a genuine, child-like curiosity
for the text of Macbeth, while the teacher is charming, patient and
adept at leading the class discussions to fruitful grounds. As the play
progresses, Lianna brings in what she has seen from her relationship with her
mother into making astute observations of Lady Macbeth.
I cannot
give enough praise to Jessica Corcoran, playing the role of Lianna. She
perfectly portrays the transformation (rendered so brilliantly by the script)
from self-centred and stubborn at first, to becoming a young woman full of
courage, who resolves to take care of her mother by herself. It is incredibly
powerful to see her find her feet and learn to make friends that she cares for
and trusts as well as realising her talents as an actress. Meanwhile, she also
struggles with the guilt that she might have exhausted her mother into falling
into illness. Angela Walsh - who has written the script - also deserves ample
praise for her role as Lianna’s mother. Full of concern for her disabled
daughter, she is tired but tries as best as she can; once she realises that her
mind has begun to falter, the way she copes and the dissolution of her
character are heartbreaking to watch.
It is a
very powerful script, which has won the award for best production at the Write
Now Festival. It is an extremely compelling depiction of the strength of a
beautiful character who finds her path to self-actualisation in spite of her
disability. One of the later scenes with the mother’s letter was especially moving
- I was in tears, sobbing by the end, and so were the majority of the audience
members.
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