We opened Liberty Inn this past weekend to large and enthusiastic crowds. Turns out...there were critics in the audience as well. After some musings on the show I'll give you the links I've found to the reviews and let you peruse their opinions.

If you can't wait for me to link to all the reviews, you can try Bitter Lemons where they've also got quotes and links to all our reviews. Pretty great site in general.

I attended the Ovation Awards the other night and watched a bunch of friends walk away with hardware. It was a lot of fun and I've got a couple of pix from the party....

The audience response to Ruby has been absolutely phenomenal. The crowd stands outside the theatre and applauds as we come out, screaming praise. It's almost too much. Certainly not all our reviews have been great. Most of them are just regurgitations of the plot, which seems like the critique du jour here in LA these days. But really...does a critics' opinion matter if the house is full and the audience loves it? I think not.

All I can say is it's great to be a part of this....

stagehappenings.com Well rounded review. Pun NOT intended....

"It’s always good to see theatre that deals with American sub-cultures, and the central character of Ruby definitely represents far too much of our fears of the plus sized (read: fat) in our culture. Rivera’s direction, the cast’s dedication and the playwright’s intent make this a more-than-good production, even if the surreal ultimately flounders on cliché."

BACKSTAGE - 23 Sep 09 A very good review...rather than just relate the plot back to you he totally "got" the play and related what he thought worked and didn't. Very nice.

"As the title—and somber Greek chorus—foreshadows, tragedy awaits. But there's plenty of laughs on the way to an ending that is both powerful and out of place in regard to the rest of the 90-minute one-act, written with unflinching honesty by Boni B. Alvarez and snappily directed by Jon Lawrence Rivera. A strong ensemble, highlighted by two magnetic performances, delivers a mostly riveting, although not surprising, story...Several funny scenarios involve Ruby and her friends trying to diet, while the other biggest laughs come from a subplot involving Edwina and a flirtatious admirer named Kline (Mark Doerr)."

Park LaBrea News Beverly Press - 17 Sep 09 Who knew they had a paper? And who knew their reviewer was so good? I sure didn't. Very nice article....

"Edwina’s poison takes some of the hilarious edge off the play, especially when she enters what seems to be a dubious relationship with clean-edged neighbor, Kline (a quietly effective Mark Doerr)."

LA TIMES - 17 Sep 09 This has been a theme in the criticism of the play so far, the twists and the ending. Strangely...only some critics seem to be really bothered by it. Audience goes along for the ride....

Director Jon Lawrence Rivera, longtime head of Playwrights’ Arena, helms one of the most genuinely eccentric productions of the season in “Ruby, Tragically Rotund,” Boni B. Alvarez’s world premiere at the Los Angeles Theatre Center. Mostly, that’s a good thing, but we are ultimately victims of a bait-and-switch.

LA WEEKLY - 15 Sep 09 It's always interesting what people choose to focus on, especially reviewers....

[Playwright Boni] Alvarez and [director Jon Lawrence] Rivera's climax obliges in a Grand Guignol finale that turns this into a play about child abuse, not fat pride. Though riveting and well-acted, the alternately chipper and dark play feels as bipolar as the undiagnosed Edwina herself.

A while back my aunt sent me a few DVDs filled with old pix. Well my dad, not to be outdone, has digitized his slide collection and sent me 3200+ photos. Yup. 3200+. And while I'm grateful for these, I'm only gonna subject you to a select few. Enjoy!

Coming to your radio soon!

We had a 30 second radio spot made for our show and one of our more tech-saavy brethren, Albert Meijer put together a little slideshow for it. I think it captures the spirirt of our show pretty well. Enjoy.

UPDATED - Aug 4, 2009 - Here are all the reviews of THE WASPS that I've found so far....