Speaking in Tongues Reviews
Broadway World- Highly Recommended
"...The Australian Theatre Company's stunning quartet of talented actors elevates playwright Andrew Bovell's very clever SPEAKING IN TONGUES into an entertaining puzzlement. Jeneffa Soldatic firmly directs her gifted cast in their multiple intersecting roles that asks the audience to really, really pay attention to details. Opening scene has the two married couples, (but not to each other), hook up with the person they just picked up. The four actors very timely overlap their lines in dueling scenes of seduction - one successful, one not so. The two couples in side-by-side motel rooms, follow fairly similar paths to get to their different results. Bovell's dialogue start with one couple and gets finished by the other with double meanings to the synchronized lines. As the play progresses, relationships become evident in a 'truth is stranger than fiction,' closer than 'six degrees of separation' kind of open-minded belief. Just go with it. Would have loved to be a fly on the wall in Bovell's room for his initial draft of this interlocking of characters."
LA Splash- Recommended
"...The cast of four covers a multitude of personalities. Jamie Irvine (Pete/Neil/John), Tina Kobas (Jane/Valerie), Matt Passmore (Leon/Nick), and Kym Wilson (Sonja/Sarah) are the skilled actors who pull the disparate elements of SPEAKING IN TONGUES together. Talented director Jeneffa Soldatic manages to keep the cast on track even as the story meanders along in multiple directions. John Iacovelli's scenic design is simple and effective. Jared Sayeg's lighting, Cricket Meyers' sound, and Kate Bergh's costume designs enhance the production. In addition, this creative team uses its skills for both of the "double feature" ATC productions."
Stage Scene LA- Highly Recommended
"...The secrets we hide from those we love, the lies we tell to protect both them and ourselves, and the truths that can only be revealed to strangers lie at the heart of Andrew Bovell's extraordinary Speaking In Tongues, the first half of the rotating-rep double-bill that marks the welcome return of Los Angeles's Australian Theatre Company."
Santa Monica Daily Press- Highly Recommended
"...This sparkling, fast-paced play is directed by Jeneffa Soldatic, a member of the Actors Studio Directors Unit, who has directed and developed many award-winning theater productions and films. It is a production of the Australian Theatre Company, an organization whose stated mission is "to further enrich the relationship between Australians and Americans by offering our voices, stories, culture, talent, and spirit via world-class theatrical projects.""
Theatre Notes- Highly Recommended
"...In directing Speaking in Tongues with all its complexity, Jeneffa Soldatic has done exemplary work in keeping action of the show clear and the pace brisk. The cast has star-power wattage, a compelling confidence, and a boldness that is a joy to behold. It is the kind of charisma and energy one has come to expect from our beloved austral cousins."