Playback

Playback engages with a range of complex, thought-provoking themes, sexual assault, public persona, and the ethics of performance and audience, with ambition and care. While it explores many ideas at once, it remains compelling throughout and leaves me reflecting on its layered approach and emotional nuance.... full review

Playback delved into some intense topics like consent and complicated relationships. The set design was fantastic and the acting was superb! ... full review

I did enjoy Playback. I think it’s a really great representation of the zeitgeist without playing tropes for laughs. There is comedy and that comes from real lives in character moments and well crafted and delivered jokes. The story itself is layered and grows more intense as the play chugs along. While the piece does feel so current I am certain it can be something that lasts as a portrait of this moment in culture. ... full review

Playback was devasting, and still funny. The commodification of cruelty is particularly strange in the context of the "POD" cast. The whole notion of attention as power and the price of the power being what one is willing to excavate and expose and share or not. Who gets to tell the story and the why of the story is such a central question and a battlefield. Identity, labels, power and status. Lost in all of it is someone to care about. In the end the singular voice of decency is Bobby. Thank goodness for the Bobbys among us. ... full review

Thoroughly enjoyed this!! Was a bit wary of the intense subject matter but found it to be handled with a lot of grace and intelligence. Jokes felt like they kept the propulsion up and added to the play instead of feeling tonally out of place. Reminder me of an intense episode of Girls where it hurt really bad but because of how real it felt.... full review

An effective drama that brings up current issues and thought provoking dialogue. Without giving away the story, this premier is worth checking out. ... full review

Immediately, I was drawn in by the dreamy set and captivated by the cast giving a performance that felt so raw and real. The difficulty in confronting traumas from past relationships made this play an absolutely enthralling emotional experience. The cast was brilliant. Playback is gripping, it's raw, it's emotional and compelling. I really enjoyed it!... full review

A riveting piece of theatre, Playback dives into topics of consent, controlled narratives, and complicated relationships.... full review

Overall, “Playback” is an enjoyable, well-written modern play with strong potential. The set is clean, the direction is effective, and the production has a clear sense of style. With a little more patience in the emotional beats and a stronger commitment to playing the circumstances truthfully, this show could land even more strongly.... full review

Playback grapples with a number of thorny subjects, any one of which could anchor the show. Sexual assault. The inherently performative nature of a public persona. Catering your product or brand to a group of people who you know cause harm. But in trying to tackle all of those things (and then some), the production left me confused about what it wanted me to take away from it all.... full review