Los Angeles Times - Somewhat Recommended
"...When I saw the play, under McPherson's direction, at London's Donmar Warehouse, a quality of undefined menace was unmistakably part of the drama. That same edge isn't quite there at the Geffen, and as a result the transitions between quotidian moments and harrowing ones can feel somewhat artificial."
Stage and Cinema - Recommended
"...Conor McPherson's plays are so rooted in the characters that plot is really revelation. With unforced warmth, he captures loneliness in the act of self-effacement, and love as the best way to prove we're really here. Geffen Playhouse's offering The Night Alive is no nocturne-much in the vein of McPherson's countryman Martin McDonagh, these self-inventing characters, blessed with more hope than brains, are humorous but within a gritty context. If you allow yourself, you can walk inside this play."
Stage Scene LA - Somewhat Recommended
"...Audience reaction at press night curtain calls was enthusiastic, but not overwhelmingly so, leading me to believe that more than a few shared my enjoyment rather than the fervor of those whose enthusiasm for McPherson's latest has been previously expressed in print. Regardless of which camp you fall into, I'm guessing you'll be keeping the night alive with post-performance discussion. If only for that, The Night Alive is worth checking out."
StageHappenings.com - Recommended
"...The play starts out slowly, has plenty of laughs, but eventually turns into a gripping and violent tale. I don't want to give away any plot points because it might ruin your experience, if you decide to see the show. I had a wonderful time in the theatre and recommend it whole-heartedly."
Examiner - Somewhat Recommended
"...Yes, there are flaws in this production, but despite the flaws, there was a simple beauty to the poetic story telling that marks Conner McPherson's plays. I don't know if the flaws were the playwrights, the actors or the directors. But, ultimately, it is the director who has the overview and reigns all in. The flaws did get my attention, but there still were moments of enjoyment in this play. It does cause one to think about the human condition. That is good play does, it stimulates thought."
ArtsInLA - Somewhat Recommended
"...All this is gleaned from the script and the set. Under Randall Arney's direction, though, and despite the fine acting chops of the five performers, character definitions aren't clear, particularly Aimee's. Who are these people? What does each want? Arney gets the laughs the script intended. But the pathos is felt only long after the final bows, in thinking about the play and trying to piece together its meaning."
Hollywood Progressive - Recommended
"...In any case Alive's able, ensemble acting is well-directed by Randall Arney, who previously helmed American Buffalo at the Geffen."
Culture Vulture - Somewhat Recommended
"...Every time you start to think "The playwright's grasp of dialogue in the Irish idiom is good, but do I want to spend the evening with these folks?" McPherson throws in another wrinkle for the plot. Not wanting to remove whatever suspense you may feel, let me give you a small example: Supposedly slow-witted, Doc starts talking, albeit simplistically, about black holes. Does this make sense? Does it move things along? I don't think so. It is just a vehicle to give McPherson a final resolution, resolving little. Perhaps the metaphoric black hole is the void these lives have fallen into; some audience members see something more spiritual, whatever they mean by that. Maybe it just means that he ran out of wrinkles. What it seems to mean for McPherson is that that 100 minutes are over. It is time to let the audience go and get their own fish and chips."
Total Theater - Recommended
"...The Night Alive may not be a memorable play, but it is admirably acted and directed. And in a welcome break for American ears, the cast goes easy on the "Oirish" accents."
Huffington Post - Recommended
"...This great Irish playwright works his poetic imagery on the audience effortlessly, and by the end you are laughing and crying in equal measure. A visit to the Geffen is a ‘must' for any lover of good theatre."
LifeInLA - Recommended
"...The Night Alive, emotionally compelling and deeply insightful, is a night at the theatre you won't soon forget."
Cultural Weekly - Recommended
"...Not much you say? No, not much. But in McPherson's world, that doesn't matter, because in the midst of all the nonchalance, the unwashed dishes, the unmade beds, the lazy calendar, the lack of money and the absence of food in the house, these characters deliver one heck of an entertaining evening of theatre. They're a good-humored bunch, most of them, trapped in a dysfunctional world that doesn't seem to get much in the way of their happy-go-lucky life."
Theatre Spoken Here - Somewhat Recommended
"...Following a fruitful run dazzling his audiences with works both ghostly and cerebral, the playwright Conor McPherson has taken a significant step away from the well-spun yarn. The polarizing ambiguity of his play The Night Alive - now having its West Coast premiere at the Geffen Playhouse - is enough to leave viewers simply scratching their heads, despite a charismatic and well-synched cast working under the guidance of Geffen Artistic Director Randall Arney."
