A Body of Water Reviews
Los Angeles Times- Recommended
"...Without the persistence of memory, is self-knowledge even possible? Lee Blessing's surreal, self-described puzzle play, "A Body of Water," revisits the mystery of identity with a newly revised ending in an eerie, thought-provoking staging from Actors Co-op."
LA Splash- Highly Recommended
"...First produced in 2005 in Minneapolis, Minnesota with a New York off-Broadway premiere in 2008, A BODY OF WATER makes its world premiere with a new ending at the Actors Co-op Crossley Theatre in Hollywood. Written by master playwright Lee Blessing, nominated for multiple awards including the Pulitzer Prize, A BODY OF WATER has been described as "maddeningly enigmatic," "a puzzle play," and "an existential metaphor mystery." As Blessing himself states, "The play is allegorical about the agony of existence in a modern world of hellish personal isolation." Certainly, Blessing's funny/sad/poignant play qualifies as an existential journey lightly touching upon the absurd."
Stage Scene LA- Highly Recommended
"...Get ready to have your mind boggled in the most provocative of ways as Actors Co-op tantalizes and challenges audiences with the gripping if frustrating brainteaser that is Lee Blessing's A Body Of Water."
Showmag- Recommended
"...By the playwright's own admission, this play finally found its footing only after a good ten years of tinkering. In a world of slick, not to mention permanently-inscribed cinema, the luxury of Blessing's long gestation is the theater's most appealing attribute, and our most enduring benefit."
Stage Raw- Highly Recommended
"...A Body of Water is a dark, funny and emotionally vivid metaphor for the often precarious peace that keeps marriage afloat, but it's also about how we shape our identities. Are we the items we collect? The list of our accomplishments? The feelings we have? The way someone describes us?"
Theatre Notes- Highly Recommended
"...Under the keen direction of Nan McNamara, the cast is superb. The characters of Moss and Avis, blank slates to start with, become ever more complicated as the action unfolds. Wren is a cypher who shows a range diverse attitudes and emotions. Who, or what, is she really? To the cast-bravo, brava, bravissimi tutti!"
Haines His Way- Highly Recommended
"...Director Nan McNamara keeps the tension ratcheted on high, She skillfully guides her talented trio of actors as they precariously walk the tightrope of drama Blessing has created. There is not a false move. The concern and fear the audience comes to feel for this couple is carefully nurtured and yet the unexpected comic moments also help to break the tension, if only momentarily. Bruce Ladd as Moss and Treva Tegtmeier as Avis are a perfectly matched twosome, easily etching that nervous, bashful morning after sex vibe as well as that seemingly unbreakable bond of a long and loving relationship. Ivy Beech storms onto the scene, alternately frustrated to have to repeat herself day after day to her parents or are they her clients? Is she trying to save her clients or to shock her parents into remembering some traumatic experience that they still can't face? See Lee Blessing's A Body of Water yourself and make your own decision."