The University of California, Santa Barbara:
DIRECTOR: SHIRLEY JO FINNEY
SCENIC DESIGN: FREDERICA NASCIMENTO
COSTUME DESIGN: NAILA ALADDIN-SANDERS
LIGHTING DESIGN: JOSE LOPEZ
SOUND DESIGN: PETER BAYNE
Critique by Broadway World:
- Enjoyed the play
- Appreciated the space created, by the playwright, for the audience and storytellers to communicate demonstrated through aspects of community, ritual, and remembrance
- Appreciated the set design
- Questioned the significance/purpose of giving Oya her talent of running
Quotes:
- “Talented young performers”
- “A set that presents the mysteries of the bayou with bright light, vivid color, and the mesmerizing use of shadow”
- “Performances were lively, intense, and entertaining”
Howard University:
DIRECTOR: ERIC RUFFIN
SCENIC DESIGN: MICHAEL STEPOWANY
COSTUME DESIGN: KENDRA RAE
LIGHTING DESIGN: T.W. STARNES
COMPOSER AND MUSICAL DIRECTOR: BERT CROSS II
CHOREOGRAPHER: DWAYNE MURRAY
Critique by DC Theatre Arts:
- Really enjoyed the play
- Appreciated the language and storytelling implemented by the playwright
- Believed the performers properly executed the story
- Appreciated the set design
Quotes:
- “Mesmerizing and lyrical production at Howard University”
- “It is a place such as where gods of yore would visit in human form”
- “The action happens about as much in the aisles as on stage”
- “Within minutes the opening night audience was so into the show it could have raved on all night.”
Young Vic, London, UK:
DIRECTOR: WALTER MEIERJOHANN
SCENIC DESIGN: MIRIAM BUETHER
COMPOSER: ABRAM WILSON
Critique by The Guardian:
- Found faults within the production
- Did not appreciate the set design
- Believed the set took away from the simplicity of the story, the vocalization of the actors, and the complexity within the language of the play
- Appreciated the actors talent and performances
Quotes:
- “Water is an unfriendly element, and I found much of McCraney’s language obscured by splashing feet”
- “A play that might have had a strong emotional content here becomes an aquatic spectacle”
- “The production yields a host of strange images, it dominates the text rather than serving it”
- “I’d love to see McCraney’s magically simple play on dry land”
