Forever Reviews
Los Angeles Times- Somewhat Recommended
"...From a theatrical perspective, unmodulated rage works best in small doses; too much of it stuns the senses. Subtler moments, as when she confesses her dreams of marrying the Irish cop who was kind to her after her rape, can be more effective."
LA Weekly- Recommended
"...Orlandersmith's intention, she says at one point, was to finally write something with the "naked, gut-honest" candor of an author like Wright. And in the harrowing, very personal and unflinchingly courageous journey described in Forever, she achieves it."
Stage and Cinema- Recommended
"...And it's powerful, poetic storytelling, the kind that creeps up on you slowly and stays with you."
ArtsBeatLA- Not Recommended
"...Forever was, to quote an elderly gentleman leaving the theatre, "not my cup of tea." The latest creation of writer/actress Dael Orlandersmith, this one-woman show is a piece of straight-up storytelling that just bored this reviewer. The writing is repetitive, not poetic enough to be beautiful for its own sake and not sharp enough to tell a clear story. But worse than the writing is that Orlandersmith simply sits at a podium and reads the entire thing. For 90 minutes. This would take the award for the least theatrical production I've seen this year-only Mary Louise Geiger, the lighting designer, seems to have gotten the memo that this piece will be performed onstage to an audience who might like something to do with their eyes."
ArtsInLA- Not Recommended
"...And what happened to the idea that there are two sides to every story, that we can only understand someone by walking in their shoes? Orlandersmith bites off every word, every syllable, for 90 minutes with a remarkable absence of empathy for anyone else. A guide she encounters at the cemetery fuels her rage; even the Irish cop who shows up on the night of the rape to offer comfort barely escapes her resentment. At the end, the announcement of her having come to terms with mother (in an interaction with her body in the morgue) comes of nowhere and doesn't convince."
Culture Vulture- Somewhat Recommended
"...Orlandersmith is an oft-produced playwright. She has a Guggenheim fellowship, an Obie, and was a finalist for the Pulitzer. There are moments of brilliance in "Forever," but much reminds me, as a therapist, of the hours I've sat in my chair listening, wondering, as harrowing as this story is, what would I hear if the other person were in my consulting room too? Her statement in the program about "Forever" being a hybrid of fact and impression rings as self-serving."
Total Theater- Recommended
"...Forever concludes with the death of Orlandersmith's mother, an experience that the performer also confronts fearlessly. This is one artist who does not flinch in the face of darkness and dissolution."