Los Angeles Times - Recommended
"...But it is Stehlin as the odious Gustav who owns the evening in a role he was born to play. It's a towering turn, a chilling exercise in single-minded malevolence as appalling as it is thrilling."
LA Weekly - Recommended
"...Bitterly cynical but engrossing, The Creditors is strictly for those who enjoy an intellectual argument spiked with misogyny and cyanide."
LAist - Recommended
"...The new co-production by the New American Theatre and the Odyssey Theatre Ensemble is superb, a razor-sharp drama highlighted by Jack Stehlin's devilishly entertaining performance."
Stage and Cinema - Recommended
"...Trainer's trio carries out this dark, neo-Darwinian comedy with effortless efficiency, a polish that makes the crude psychodynamics all the more repellent."
The Hollywood Reporter - Somewhat Recommended
"...This Creditors remains one of the most innovative and overwhelming expressions of Strindberg's concept of "psychic murder," and, alarmingly, its sting feels as fresh and sharply relevant to contemporary relationships even as it stays nestled firmly in both its period and its antiquated nostrums about gender characterizations, vintage vinegar in an old bottle. One needn't look very deeply into this primordial genius to glimpse the future evolution of so much of the naturalistic and symbolist theater of the past century, virtually all of Eugene O'Neill and a great deal of Edward Albee or Neil LaBute (whose recent adaptation of Miss Julie pales on every count where this one succeeds)."
LA Splash - Recommended
"...The three-person cast of Creditors are all you need to stay engaged in this tangled psychological tale. Kudo to Grinstead, Stehlin and Prete for facing the behemoth task of extracting the humor and tragedy of the piece, and delivering with skill and sensitivity."
ReviewPlays.com - Recommended
"...Director David Trainer has crafted a masterful tableau that reaches into the souls of the three protagonists and rips out their secret anxieties, only to fling them at each other with the deadly venom of revenge."
The Tolucan Times - Recommended
"...A spellbinding, mind teasing, highly involving evening of theater looking at "love … obsession … and payback." Deliciously Directed by David Trainer, and flawlessly performed by a trio of fine actors, this play is a titillating theatrical journey for the audience."
ArtsInLA - Recommended
"...A co-production of Odyssey Theatre and New American Theatre, the LA premiere of David Greig's new translation of August Strindberg's 1888 psycho-drama Creditors, helmed by David Trainer, offers a surgically precise yet emotion-rending study in psychological assassination with a touch of dark humor thrown in. On the minus side, this is not a fair fight. Then again, Strindberg did not instill enough humanity in these people to care who wins or loses. It's the action that counts."
Campus Circle - Somewhat Recommended
"..."Creditors" drags on and feels longer than 90 minutes, largely due to its structure. Three lengthy scenes make up the entire play; there's one scene with Adolf and Gustav, one with Tekla and Adolf, and another with all three characters. The scenes are so long that it's hard to pay attention. Although "Creditors" has some funny jokes, the stakes could have been higher, and the actors could have been more immersed in their roles. Their acting abilities made them believable, but raising the stakes would have made for a more compelling performance."
LA Stage Times - Recommended
"...New American Theatre's return to the Odyssey is in good hands, even if the vehicle has inherent flaws."
Will Call - Recommended
"...The three actors are in full command with perfect diction and timing. David Trainer effectively directs this fascinating Los Angeles premiere."
Total Theater - Somewhat Recommended
"...It isn't easy to watch Creditors, but it's impossible to deny its hypnotic and stunning power."
Culver City News - Recommended
"...It's not a happy or light story, but well worth the price of admission."
LifeInLA - Recommended
"...What's truly amazing, however, is that over a hundred years later, the relevance to such ideas and the search for these truths is still significant. It is still worth exploring, and this production is a wonderful example of how art can illuminate such truths."
Daily Bruin - Recommended
"...Ultimately, "Creditors" is an enjoyable thrill at the theater, filled with lust, temptation, revenge and all the fantastic dramatic tropes that make up an enjoyable performance."
The Los Angeles Post - Recommended
"...All three cast members are phenomenal and work so well together you would think they have been doing this play for years. As one expects, the Odyssey comes through with another winner. Check this out, it will not disappoint."
Cynthia Citron - Recommended
"...Well written, well presented, and well worth your time."
