Brilliant Traces

This was a wonderful show. I laughed hard, and cried hard. The actors were exceptional. They really listened to each other and were so in the moment that I was swept away. The stage design was minimalistic, but hey, it's Fringe, right? Loved, loved, loved it!... full review

The performances were moving and believable. Among the best shows I've seen at HFF. Really well done. ... full review

Brilliant Traces is unequivocally the best production I have seen so far this Fringe. The direction was pitch perfect, and I particularly appreciated how the cast deftly navigated the pathos and comedy of the play with equal measure. (Kudos to both actors for their nuanced approach to a challenging script.) I was very moved by this production, and I hope it reaches a larger audience before the festival closes.... full review

"Brilliant Traces" is an excellent show. There are big laughs and beautiful, touching moments. The cast brought me to tears and touched my heart with wonderful acting.... full review

Terrific acting in a powerful story of fear and familial relationships. The directing and acting are truly top-notch. ... full review

It was a poignant and powerful drama. Clay Elliott was spectacular. His nuanced performance brought me to tears. The story unfolds in subtle layers and Elliott was superb.... full review

A true Grotowskian delight. Edgy, hilarious, visceral, cathartic, this 70-minute take on Cindy Lou Johnson's full-length play will bust you up the way only great theatre can. Masterfully directed by Nick Zayas, the matchless duo of Riley Rose Critchlow and Clay Elliot will reinvigorate your love of live (straight) theatre... Read more at http://www.latheatercritic.com... full review

I had a hunch halfway through this terrific evening of postmodern absurdist theater that other than the crowd I saw it with, there must be nights where the audience is cracking up and guffawing at Brilliant Traces, like some do at a Beckett play. Cindy Lou Johnson's cracked, poetic, darkly funny, and at turns deeply emotional play forced me to my desktop to google the night away trying to find out more about this playwright. I loved this play, but if the acting hadn't been as good as it was from Riley Rose Critchlow and Clay Elliott, I might have been lost. It's an hour and twenty minutes that ranges from brilliant storytelling, to dark absurdism, to an evocation of what the hell is wrong with men and women--together and alone--in love and y... full review

Riveting performances by two exceptional actors. What a great hour of theater. I feel lucky to have seen it.... full review

Great hour of theater. Very well done from start to finish everything fit together nearly perfectly. I usually have more to say but I throughly enjoyed both actors performances. There were perhaps a few things I would have done differently but who doesn't have their own spin to put on things. ... full review