This Our Now

n/a · Ages 15+ · United States of America

world premiere
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Review by MAUREEN LENKER

June 18, 2017 stage raw
tagged as: insightful · heartfelt

What I liked

Olivia Cordell is a phenomenal actress. She was vulnerable and utterly believable throughout and did a wonderful job of going on the journey of her character as she finds her own maturity and identity through her relationship. The direction from Aubrey Rinehart was superb — they made inventive use of the space and very seamlessly swapped places on the stage. It showed a clear and strong vision on her part that was well executed.

What I didn't like

The rest of the cast was not as strong — they operated a lot in generalities and lacked the specificity to make them completely believable. Part of the issue is that they were simply too young to be in the circumstances they were investigating.

My overall impression

This is a finely directed exploration of modern day relationships featuring complex and interesting staging. The subject is one that you can easily relate to and find yourself in, though sometimes it strives too hard to hit big ideas or make grand pronouncements. It would be more powerful to let those themes and notions arise out of the action and dialogue more naturally rather than being explicitly stated. It has a lot of potential for further development though, as the subject matter and writing are quite strong.

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