SPEECH & DEBATE Opens Tonight!

I saw it last Wednesday night.
Absolutely loved it.
One of the most "current" and topical shows I've seen in a while.
And just so goddamn funny and acute and accurate.
Spot-on performances by all four.
Just excellent! And highly recommended.

I smell a TIMES rave, kids.....

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I saw it the first preview and LOVED it. Saw it again, with the changes and loved it more. Will be seeing it again this month and have TIX for the last Performance. I cannot rave enough about this funny, clever, witty play filled with impresssive performances, esp by one little girl named SARAH STEELE!
BREAK A LEG!!
I am so glad GIDEON told me about back in August! How proud he is to be a part of this GEM!!

One of my favorite shows of the season so far. Break a leg!

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Talkin Broadway is a Rave:

"Where have theatre companies gotten the idea that if sex is good, talking about sex must be better? Whether it's American Puritanism taking its last, gasping breath or a dissection of what's perceived as the closed-minded Red State mindset is a question for the philosophers and accountants – who already have their hands full with last season's hit musical Spring Awakening. But in case they want a break, they could take a one-night vacation to see Stephen Karam's Speech & Debate, a highly amusing and highly accomplished play about essentially the same subject.

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At the performance I attended, the overall audience age certainly seemed to be two or three decades younger than the typical theatregoing average, in itself a noteworthy success for Roundabout. Whether these are really the people who need convincing about the dangers of blurring the lines between age, sex, and politics is another question, but that Speech & Debate treats them to a great, thoughtful evening out is practically its own reward."


http://www.talkinbroadway.com/ob/10_29_07.html

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am NY gives it Three-and-a-half Stars:

"Speech & Debate," while also long-winded, is absolutely fascinating to behold. Whereas "The Overwhelming" seems fake, "Speech & Debate" is totally sincere and relevant in its exploration of contemporary teenage angst. We watch as the teens post podcasts, sing along to alternate rock strains (a device also used by Karam in "Columbinus") and confront sexual dilemmas. Its structure is also remarkable, which divides the play into a dozen scenes, each inspired by a different speech and debate category.

So, if you're going to check out one of Roundabout's Off-Broadway plays, we recommend taking the elevator down three or four flights for "Speech & Debate."

http://www.amny.com/entertainment/am-speech1029,0,5364742.story

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Variety is Mostly Positive:

"Roundabout kicks off its Underground project to nurture new talent on a promising note with "Speech & Debate." Stephen Karam's savvy comedy about three teenage outsiders grappling with sexual secrets and drawn together via the Internet is imperfect, rambling and messily plotted, but it's bristling with vitality, wicked humor, terrific dialogue and a direct pipeline into the zeitgeist of contemporary youth. Staged with verve by Jason Moore and played by a pitch-perfect cast of four, this disarming production has enough arguments in its favor to make the flaws seem secondary."
http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117935233.html?categoryid=33&cs=1

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Congrats to the cast and creative of this amazing show! So happy they're getting the reviews that they deserve.

Theatremania is Mixed-to-Positive:

"While the playwright's tale about a trio of misfits at a Salem, Ogegon, high school is, at times, implausible, it also captures the awkwardness associated with a budding maturity...............

Karam's writing is alternately humorous and earnest, hitting on topics such as internalized homophobia, abortion, and more. His dialogue flows smoothly, especially with the aid of director Jason Moore's crisp pacing, which brings out the whimsical aspects of the script without sacrificing its more serious content."

http://www.theatermania.com/content/news.cfm/story/11880

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Not yet. Very soon.

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The NY Times review is a rave as well.
http://theater2.nytimes.com/2007/10/30/theater/reviews/30spee.html

Congratulations to all involved with this exciting production. We loved it in preview, and thankfully already have our tickets to return later in November to see what has changed.

The Daily News is Mostly Positive:

"Speech & Debate" isn't a perfect play. It's larded with cliches and coincidences and hinges on a preposterous plot twist - the pervy theater coach uses his easily recognizable online screen name, not an alias.

But look past the flaws, and Karam, who co-wrote "columbinus," about the Colorado high school slayings, comes through as a writer whose voice is clear, laugh-out-loud funny and uncannily tuned to the way teens talk."


http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/col/dziemianowicz/index.html

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