LA Weekly - Not Recommended
"...But whereas One in the Chamber (propelled by a powerful lead performance by Sulzman, who owns the pivotal role here also), was layered and tense and involving, A Good Family has fewer secrets to reveal. Running approximately one hour, it more closely resembles a clipped-from-the-headlines issue play, with the characters and their dialogue in service of the idea the playwright is trying to clarify rather than projecting a unique inner life that would make them independently interesting."
Stage Scene LA - Somewhat Recommended
"...A charge of rape lodged against their college student son casts a pall over a Midwestern American couple's Christmas Eve celebration in A Good Family, Marja-Lewis Ryan's World Premiere drama that combines several of the elements that made her award-winning One In The Chamber a critical/popular hit last year-crisp writing, outstanding acting, edge-of-your-seat suspense-yet feels incomplete, and not simply for its hour-and-change running time."
Examiner - Not Recommended
"...Unfortunately, there is no manual that prescribes a solution for the issues that Jack and his family are facing. And in the end, this play doesn't provide it either. In fact, the audience is left bewildered as the play just peters out"�"
ArtsBeatLA - Recommended
"...Short and tense, Ryan's one-act play runs a mere 62 minutes (not 75 minutes, as advertised) and frankly, it feels unfinished. There's plenty of scope for this gripping story to be explored further, perhaps with the obvious next scene of the police charging the teenager. Flash backs to an interrogation scene would have been welcome in fleshing out the facts of the story, too. At the very least, a scene with the family suffering the ramifications of their son being charged with this crime is sorely needed. Nevertheless, this is a exciting emotional play that engages us with an important theme."
Will Call - Recommended
"...Done on stage in real time, the audience shares the anxiety of this Good Family in a most involving story, a world premiere bound to succeed."
Frontiers - Somewhat Recommended
"...Nonetheless, Ryan's solid direction skillfully balances the escalating tension and moments of amusing family interplay, with the aid of a strong ensemble cast. Sulzman, Anderson and Frasier had all offered affecting performances in "One in the Chamber," and are again superb in this new work. Haun is credible and formidable as the no-nonsense aunt trying to keep the family focused on doing what they can to deal with the legal challenges. Linton offers solid support as the patriarch in shock and denial. Design elements in the compact Lounge space are first-rate. Ryan has proven herself an extraordinary playwright (and scored strongly in a superb supporting turn in "Dysnomia'). Her new work certainly has its pluses, but perhaps could use mor"
Total Theater - Somewhat Recommended
"...The problem with A Good Family is that it doesn't go beyond that point. We never learn whether Jack was guilty or not, and we never see the girl he supposedly forced himself on. Instead, author Ryan concentrates on the family's response to the distressing news. That's interesting but only up to a certain point: a deeper handling of Jack's character is called for, a stronger investigation of the issues as well. Perhaps A Good Family should have been a longer, more complex play, because at 55 minutes, its power and importance seem not to have been fully tapped."
