Her Requiem

51/100

Photo by Jeremy Daniel
Written by Greg Pierce. Directed by Kate Whoriskey. At the Claire Tow Theatre through March 20

What's it About? "When Caitlin takes her senior year off from high school to compose a full-scale requiem, her dedication inspires her father and concerns her mother. But as their home becomes a nexus for lost souls, her parents must deal with her project’s effect on the family."

Consensus: With one exception, critics are not particularly impressed with this Requiem. Taking issues with the production and the emotional impact of the play, several mention that the play feels unfinished. One critic did have very strong positive feelings for the show, so it seems to be pretty evenly dividing the critics.


TheaterMania 85/100
(Zachary Stewart) "Dean hears a work about global warming and terrorism; Tommy hears a devotional mass. "Diversity of opinion about a work of art shows that the work is new, complex, and vital," Oscar Wilde wrote in his preface to The Picture of Dorian Grey. Here's hoping for a few pans of this absorbing new play."

New York Theatre Guide 60/100
(Tulis McCall) "In the end, it comes down to the two men battling it out. Who really places Caitlin above himself and who is angling to control her? The confrontation instead of pushing the women further back into the dark, pulls them out into the light – and this is an unusual touch. It is the women who sort through the ballast in this tale. It just takes the author a long time to get us there. Next outing we would all be okay with getting there sooner and opening up the gates leading out of archetypes into the unknown."

The New York Times 46/100
(Charles Isherwood) "Mr. Pierce’s characters — who also include Allison’s infirm mother, called Gram, and played with warmth and dry humor by Joyce Van Patten — are superbly drawn, his dialogue smooth and smart. He’s a promising writer, whose 'Slowgirl' was also seen at LCT3. But the plotting of “Her Requiem” becomes a little baggy."

Talkin' Broadway 40/100
(Matthew Murray) "Oddly, the only destination that's clear is that of Her Requiem itself: It wants to remind us that the life we live and the life we give are both precious and worthy of respect, however elusive it may be. But for us to join the characters' journey, we have to be immersed in their world, and Pierce has not made that easy. Maybe Caitlin's composition really is one for the ages, but the it and the play that surrounds it are obsessed with music far too faint for us to hear."

The Hollywood Reporter 25/100
(Frank Scheck) "Unfortunately, the results are far less felicitous than with the playwright's previous effort, Slowgirl, similarly showcased by the company. While it boasts strong performances and pungent dialogue, Her Requiem fails to make much narrative or thematic sense."