Linda Vista Reviews
Los Angeles Times- Somewhat Recommended
"..."Linda Vista" doesn't always seem convinced that it wants to be a play. Letts clearly appreciates the freedom of theater to graphically tackle subjects, such as middle-aged sex, that might make TV producers squirm. But many of the scenes, italicized with pop music, play like a dark rom-com."
Broadway World- Highly Recommended
"...This very contemporary tale set near San Diego reflects the ever-changing single scene in beachside California towns where there are lots of people searching for some answer or some dream as they look for self-fulfillment. As Barford shares, "They may not even know what they are looking for," which is exactly how Wheeler will probably continue to exist his entire life. And while Letts' dialog is hilarious, it is certainly poignant and painful at the same time, just like real life."
Stage and Cinema- Recommended
"...Director Dexter Bullard has a clear love for the play and the actors. He effectively utilizes the turntable and Todd Rosenthal's terrific sets, and he takes chances, trusting that action doesn't always have to be front and center to be impactful, and actors don't have to be loveable to make us fall in love."
Stage Scene LA- Highly Recommended
"...Tracy Letts could just as easily have called his latest play Train Wreck, so hot a mess is its 50-year-old protagonist that much of the pleasure of Letts' relentlessly funny, defiantly unsentimental Linda Vista (a Steppenwolf visitor to the Mark Taper Forum) is watching its antihero (emphasis on the anti) get what he so richly deserves."
Cultural Weekly- Not Recommended
"...In the end the only thing that's abundantly clear is that Linda Vista is a mess. Perhaps Letts should listen to Wheeler when he says, "you know your movie's too long when you have to give people an intermission." Maybe he should forget Linda Vista for a year or two then, if inclined, take it out and cut it by half. At 90 minutes, with no intermission (and please no fake sex), who knows…? Anything can happen."
Stage Raw- Highly Recommended
"...While the writing is astute, the production would not be the success it is without Barford, who seems born to play this beleaguered character with a nimble tongue. The supporting players are adept and authentic across the board, their collective performance contriving a mirror for human conduct, mostly for worse and occasionally for better."
Theatre Notes- Highly Recommended
"...Tracy Letts's new play, Linda Vista, swept in from Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre Company where it premiered in April of 2017, sneaks up on an audience in this sterling production under the keen direction of Dexter Bullard. On opening night, the audience filled the Mark Taper Forum to capacity and was cheerfully buzzing along in anticipation. The playwright could be seen chatting with friends and acquaintances inside and outside the auditorium. His recorded voice announces the usual caveats over the loudspeaker-turn off phones, unwrap candies, and so on. On stage in the brightly lit auditorium, a couple of guys are moving some boxes onto the set, which represents a furnished apartment. Is the play starting? The house lights are still up. Then as the lights fade, one of the guys' cell phones rings and the audience is instantly silent. It is an indelibly theatrical moment that rivets attention, presages what is to come."