CRITICAL RESPONSE FOR THE PORCH BY JACK NEARY

 

 

"Jack Neary's THE PORCH is everything theatre should be. It is endearing, drop-dead funny, heartbreaking and, in the end, triumphant. I left the theater thinking to myself, Gee, I wish I'd written that."

 

               Dick Flavin, Emmy-winning author and humorist

 

"Enduring friendships and shared tragedies.  Playwright Jack Neary mines what is near and dear to us in THE PORCH.  A trio of elderly ladies hilariously parse topics of sex, impotency and death with wide-eyed surprise...Neary's ear for comic banter is especially sharp and the audience laughed uproariously at recognizable references to long marriages and family dynamics."

 

               The Boston Globe

 

ÒPopulated with characters as familiar as colorful relatives at a family reunion, THE PORCH is to eastern Massachusetts what Steel Magnolias is to northwest Louisiana. THE PORCH is a deceptively tender play that is also very funny. It's an inviting place to set a while and will leave you feeling right neighborly."

 

               Broadway World

 

"This ensemble is one of the funniest that I have seen in a long time. Each actor was perfect in their roles and really brought their characters to life. This is a show that will make you laugh out loud and cry with its tender moments. So get off the couch and get on THE PORCH."

 

               The North Shore Tab

 

"THE PORCH has - and this is no knock - all the best entertainment elements of the most creative situation comedies. Audiences can expect to be told a good story and to laugh a lot. THE PORCH is a play that will appeal to just about everyone, including people who normally wouldn't go to the theater. You can even safely drag your husband or father to this play, and count on the fact that he'll leave with a smile on his face."

 

               Wordpress

 

ÒTHE PORCH delightfully captures the dialects and family dynamics audience members no doubt can relate to. Watching THE PORCH is sort of like watching your parents and their friends talk in dated terms about things like sex and religion Ñ but funnier.  THE PORCH shows creativityÕs potential for greatness at its best.Ó

 

               Stoneham Sun

 

"Thanks for inviting us to see THE PORCH. We just LOVED it. It was beautifully written and directed. And we just loved those actors. We were both in tears at the end of your show, just awe-inspired...THIS is why we do theatre."

 

               Michelle Aguillon

 

 

 

...AND FOR ITS PREVIOUS MANIFESTATION, BEYOND BELIEF

 

 

 

"BEYOND BELIEF is a poignant, playful mix of sex

and religion."

 

               The Boston Globe

 

"This entertainment shrewdly, if coyly, lampoons

CatholicsÕ repressed attitudes about sexuality."

 

               The Boston Herald

 

"They play it for laughs and get plentyÉBut in the

end it is the poignant Ôwhy and how did it happen?Õ

question that reverberates through BEYOND BELIEF,

proving once again NearyÕs ability to elicit

serious reflection through the laughter and tears."

 

               The Lowell Sun

 

ÒIt is a good time for a show like BEYOND BELIEF. It should be praised for being a piece of real entertainment that,

before it lets us go, has the power to ask: What

are we really laughing at?"

 

Independent Review

 

ÒNeary has created a perfect mix for his cutting

laceration of blind-faith, religious conservatism.

Some of the best comedy writing, direction

and performances I've experienced in my 40+ years

in the theatre.Ó

 

Theatre New England

 

ÒBEYOND BELIEF features pinpoint performance and the

very best in comic timing. The punch lines areÉimaginative and fresh. Neary has a knack for injecting one-line gems at

appropriate moments. The entire opening night audience rewarded fine work with a standing ovation. Neary has been an active presence in Western Massachusetts theater. This is surely one of his finest efforts."

 

Springfield Republican

 

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