Broadway World - Highly Recommended
"...Aficionados of evolution theory debating will be mesmerized by the world premiere of playwright Matt Chait's A MISUNDERSTANDING. Others will be most appreciative of the four actors' deep commitments to their respective characters and very lengthy speeches."
LA Splash - Recommended
"...Tod Faux's set is simple but adequate, combining potentially harsh lines with gentle colors - the very essence of Chait's story. Ross Chait's sound and Leigh Allen's lighting help move the account along. Ultimately, A MISUNDERSTANDING offers some hope for people who may rigidly adhere to their ideas while ignoring all arguments to the contrary. The message? Everyone needs to listen carefully to opposing arguments in order to find a nexus of thought. To Chait's credit, the play gradually gains steam, so that what could be a highly philosophical topic eventually screams of humanity. And touches our very human roots."
On Stage Los Angeles - Recommended
"...Todd Faux's simple set with Leigh Allen's lights bring the show to its essence. A table, two chairs and a box to represent the scenes. It's the argument of the play, that I would suggest, be carried into the audience either within the performance (as with Jack Grapes' "Circle of Will") or as a talk back to elevate the debate beyond the only slightly comfortable conclusion."
Total Theater - Recommended
"...His four-person cast is to be commended for the way it has handled his complex but basically static play; with the help of director Elina de Santos, A Midsundersanding's many long speeches are delivered effortlessly and impressively, making for a thought-provoking experience."
Santa Monica Daily Press - Recommended
"...In the end, the theatergoers are left to draw their own conclusions about Evolution or Intentional Creationism. And all four characters in the play, under the tight direction of Elina de Santos, make a mind-boggling case for their own point of view. There is little action and lots and lots of talk - absolutely fascinating talk that keeps the audience engaged throughout. And perhaps agreeing, finally, with Cates' summing up of his own beliefs versus Brownstein's, as well as Melinda's versus Howard's, by concluding: "All there is is love and misunderstanding.""
Stage Raw - Somewhat Recommended
"...As Cates, Chait becomes extraordinarily impassioned in defending his ideas, but his strong clear presence can't compensate for the play's clunky dialogue or the cerebral nature of his arguments. Call me lowbrow, but the relative truth of Darwinian theory pales beside issues of climate change, war, political repression, the impoverishment of billions of people worldwide and the danger to our republic posed by the clown in the White House. I'm not saying the root of consciousness is a topic unworthy of consideration but presenting it in such a contrived and hyperbolic way does the discussion a disservice."
Theatre Notes - Recommended
"...Playwright Chait is clearly on a mission to shake the absolute primacy of Darwinian evolution and rescue alternative notions from the grasp of religion, much as Darrow did in 1925, but with a spiritual bent. His argument is compelling, rational, and thought provoking, and, like evolution, ultimately unprovable."
Discover Hollywood - Somewhat Recommended
"...The ideas presented here are thought-provoking, and the dialogue is smart and intense, but quite honestly, two hours of watching old white men argue with each other is not particularly entertaining. And just like a family dinner table argument, the same points are made again and again, becoming dull with repetition."
