Broadway World - Somewhat Recommended
"...Tony-nominated playwright Lucas Hnath's THE THIN PLACE is an eerie meditation on grief, regret and the need for closure, though it is undermined by the lack of a satisfying conclusion."
Stage Scene LA - Highly Recommended
"...You don't have to believe in psychic phenomena to find yourself spellbound by Lucas Hnath's mysterious and spooky The Thin Place, the latest Echo Theater Company winner at the Atwater Village Theatre."
ArtsBeatLA - Somewhat Recommended
"...Director Abigail Deser gets strong work from her cast and manages to create some dramatic tension as the play progresses, but she is undercut by Hnath’s lack of an interesting resolution. Her scenic design, in collaboration with Amanda Knehans, is spare but effective, as is Alysha Bermudez’s spookily evocative sound design. Hnath’s play, while it does have at least one fascinating character in Linda, suffers from being too discursive and unfocused, although knowing his work, this is probably deliberate. It’s all setup and no real payoff, which is frustrating. What’s more frustrating is that this is a very good production of a flawed play."
Showmag - Somewhat Recommended
"...The performances are all excellent with Zambito’s wide-eyed and ingratiating Hilda carefully navigating her journey from apparent normalcy to something quite different. Greaves’ Linda has a powerful magnetism that captures us as readily as it does Hilda. Outside of the readings, she has a common-sense maternal charm that we are shocked to find can change in an instant to white-hot rage. Tuck easily slips into Sylvia’s air of privilege and condescension, while Huen leans into Jerry’s surprisingly sympathetic side, though that may be an act."
Stage Raw - Somewhat Recommended
"...On the page The Thin Place is a thoughtful drama, offering more than the story of a woman pursuing a ghost. As in The Christians, in which Hnath considers the unwillingness of certain “Christians” to renounce the concept of eternal damnation (even if it dooms a brave and honest boy to hellfire) The Thin Place illustrates how difficult it is for human beings to relinquish deeply embedded ideas. (In the party scene, Sylvia points out to Jerry that the opinions he professes are, conveniently, those most advantageous to him.)"
Theatre Notes - Recommended
"...Every thing about The Thin Place is unique, starting when the audience enters the theatre. The playing area is built in the French, tennis court style with the audience on two sides gazing across at one another. The scenic design by director Abigail Deser and designer Amanda Knehans is elegant and minimal with a rug, two chairs and a small table. Upstage is a belt-high table with candles and wine bottles. Art nouveau patterns on panels downstage and upstage are pleasing."
Haines His Way - Recommended
"...Playwright Hnath, whose earlier plays Red Speedo, The Christians and A Doll’s House, Part 2 I admire, has let me down with this work. He has written speeches, not dialogue. He has written opinions, not characters. The play is not “spine-tingling” as it is billed. There is not much that the actors can do except go through their paces and deliver his words under Abigail Dreser’s direction. The play is not helped by the tennis-seating scenic design which sets the action in the middle of the space, with audiences staring at each other across the long playing space. They have to turn their heads from side to side as upstage actors serve dialogue to the downstage actors and vice versa. Even though the play is an intermission-less 90 minutes, it feels at least an hour too long. The thinnest space would seem to be Hnath’s script."
Glamgical - Highly Recommended
"...Hnath’s play is a gem. It’s a mystical journey to a region known as The Thin Place, a space where our senses of wonder, bliss, and silent euphoria are awaken. As Hilda and Linda reveal in the play, this space, real or imaginary, emanates from the noble desire to stay in touch with the loved ones we have lost, if only we hear the message with the third eye."
