Elijah Reviews
Los Angeles Times- Recommended
"...Director Maria Gobetti takes us on a journey that accelerates to a shattering emotional whirlwind. Gray stands out in a strong cast. She delivers a raw portrayal of Dawn, a woman coping with a legacy that will forever define her - both in her painful memories of the past and her halting progression into an uncertain future."
Stage Scene LA- Highly Recommended
"...Strangers find themselves stuck inside a rural TGI Friday's as a hurricane rages not far from where a serial killer is about to be put to death in Judith Leora's Elijah, 72 minutes of drama, comedy, mystery, suspense, and hot-button issues that kept me on the edge of my Victory Theatre seat from start to finish."
The Tolucan Times- Highly Recommended
"...The cast brings great conviction and passion to their roles. Jordan Wall and Molly Gray capture the anxious, tense moments in a passionate young couple's first realization of the dark secrets they keep. Elle Vernee brings attitude and flair to the opinionated Christian do-gooder Patience."
NoHoArtsDistrict- Highly Recommended
"...The play is exquisitely produced. The staging and set design are phenomenal, but then plays at The Victory always are - such amazing attention to detail, always perfect and subtle and exactly what the play deserves, an anchoring to a place that is so familiar to us all, for a story that I can promise you is absolutely not."
Showmag- Somewhat Recommended
"...Throughout, the characters serve Leora's message, which results in a series of uneven characterizations. She has assigned sexual preferences to some of her characters without any apparent reason. What's more. the debate over the efficacy of American penal justice subsumes the very real dangers that the hurricane may wreckon the area. A last phone call to her tormentor as he is ready to be executed may satisfy the need to call him, but I wonder: will that really heal a lifetime of hurt? For that matter, does a death solve the problem? It seems that despite the debate, we're still left with the same questions."
Santa Monica Daily Press- Highly Recommended
"..."Elijah" was written by playwright Judith Leora and directed exquisitely by Maria Gobetti. This is the West Coast premiere of this gripping dramedy and it is definitely a Must See. Each of the players delivers a superb performance that is enhanced by the rich set design (with a full barroom that even includes two stained glass windows) created by Evan A. Bartoletti."
Stage Raw- Somewhat Recommended
"...Director Maria Gobetti gets strong work from her ensemble and stages the show with brisk expertise. Evan Bartoletti's set is impressive in its level of detail, as if the production had actually taken a whole room from an existing TGI Fridays and placed it on the Victory stage. Playwright Leora is clearly talented and skilled at writing humorous dialogue, but the contortions of the plot don't seem believable. On top of that, the play touches on so many different social issues (capital punishment, child abuse, homophobia to name but a few) that it's barely able to do any of them justice."
Accessibly Live Off-Line- Recommended
"...The cast of players do get along with one another, but not in any playful manor. They are likable for who they are depending on one's mood. That element is what makes this play work! Marie Gobetti, one of the artistic directors of The Victory Theatre, directs this program through a solid loop that carries on toward its ninety minute limit right up to its conclusion, even if that conclusion is a bit abrupt!"