Ironbound Reviews
Los Angeles Times- Recommended
"...The other important reason to see the play is for the way it illuminates the American experience through the immigrant's journey. At a moment when the issue of immigration is being used as a political football, it's easy for some to distance themselves emotionally from the debate."
Stage and Cinema- Recommended
"...Director Tyne Rafaeli does a superb job of creating kinetic momentum, giving dynamism to what is essentially a series of two-hander scenes. Each scene is two people talking, yet the action feels large and the characters own the space. I have a hunch that Rafaeli appreciates and enjoys what actors bring to the party, and that in the rehearsal process, there was a spirit of joy and exploration. Maybe I'm just projecting, looking for a way to explain my own emotional response - for in the end, I left the theater with a profound sense of joy. Is that weird'"
Stage Scene LA- Highly Recommended
"...A dark cloud may seem to follow Polish immigrant Darja across New Jersey, but that doesn't stop Marin Ireland from lighting up the stage like nobody's business in the West Coast Premiere of Martyna Majok's astringently funny, surprisingly affecting Ironbound, now getting a superb West Coast Premiere with its original off-Broadway leading lady joining it for its five-week visit to L.A."
Will Call- Recommended
"...Director Tyne Rafaeli never lets the pace lag and inspires excellent performances by the quartet of actors, who appear and disappear in the course of this time-traveling work. Ireland speaks in an authentic Eastern European accent and portrays a myriad of emotions devoid of a single smile. We see some dream sequences bathed in golden light (design by Lap Chi Chu) which, at first, I thought were actual memories of romantic encounters but they're merely dreams involving harmonica playing Tommy (Christian Camargo), a cherub faced, sweet fellow who contributes a few moments of happiness to the stressed-out Darja. As the brash Lothario Maks, Bania commands every scene, has a sonorous speaking voice and a bold stage presence."
Stage Raw- Recommended
"...In my experience, when a production is of mixed or bad quality, the acting is rarely to blame. Occasionally an ill-judged performance will mar a fine piece of writing, but it is much more common to watch a talented ensemble struggle with an undercooked play. So it is with Martyna Majok's Ironbound, which uneasily blends some strong scenes and detailed characters with unbelievable motivations and major story gaps. And yet, the acting in the Geffen Playhouse production is of such a high caliber that I'd still recommend the show."
Broadway World- Recommended
"...The intense play is brilliantly written, with Majok's focus on character development being revealed in almost every spoken word between the characters. And the four actors are so in tune with each other, you can't help but be pulled in to their stories, all the while wishing things could be different for each of them. I truly believe that to succeed when the going gets tough, the tough get going. And like Darja, it's that first step which seems to be the most difficult to make. But is she can do it, so can we!"