SUMMER, 1976 Reviews

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 4/25/23 at 8:45pm

Three stars from TimeOut

https://www.timeout.com/newyork/theater/summer-1976-broadway-review-mtc-laura-linney-jessica-hecht

"Although Linney and Hecht are never boring, you may find your mind wandering to details that catch your attention: the raku-pottery shimmer of Japhy Weidman’s lighting on the patterned squares of John Lee Beatty’s set, for instance, or the captivating way that Hecht, with deliberate dreaminess, adds equalized stresses and short e’s into various words (student is stew-dent, stupid is stew-ped, didn’t is did-ent). I don’t regret the 90 minutes I spent at this smoothly rendered memory play. But already, I struggle a bit to remember it. "

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 4/25/23 at 9:01pm

Deadline is positive:

‘Summer, 1976’ Broadway Review: Laura Linney & Jessica Hecht Summon A Haunting Friendship

https://deadline.com/2023/04/summer-1976-broadway-review-laura-linney-jessica-hecht-1235336080/

 

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 4/25/23 at 9:02pm

NYT Critic's Pick from Laura Collins-Hughes

‘Summer, 1976’ Review: The Path to Freedom Starts With a Friendship

Two mothers make a life-altering connection during a play date in this production for the Manhattan Theater Club.

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/25/theater/summer-1976-review-laura-linney.html

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 4/25/23 at 9:04pm

Daily Beast is positive:

‘Summer, 1976’ Review: Laura Linney and Jessica Hecht Make—and Break—a Friendship

Though “Summer, 1976” has none of the explosive moments of some of its Broadway compadres, this play about female friendship has a gently moving power.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/summer-1976-review-laura-linney-and-jessica-hecht-make-and-break-a-friendship

"Linney and Hecht are excellent and generous scene partners, and though Summer, 1976 has none of the explosive bells and whistles of some of its Broadway compadres, it has its own gentle, unassuming power. We see the flipsides to Diana’s apparent control and superiority, and the steelier side of Alice. We yearn for them to hit the road together, to build a new life with their daughters away from this stultifying place. And at first it seems they may do just that. And then… well, life."

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 4/25/23 at 9:05pm

3 out of 4 stars from NY Post

‘Summer, 1976’ review: Laura Linney, Jessica Hecht a perfect pair on B’way

https://nypost.com/2023/04/25/summer-1976-review-laura-linney-jessica-hecht-on-broadway/

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 4/25/23 at 9:06pm

Theatrely is positive:

Pleasant Reminiscing in SUMMER, 1976 — Review

https://www.theatrely.com/post/pleasant-reminiscing-in-summer-1976-review

"It’s not a rollercoaster of emotion, but Summer, 1976 builds up to a moving statement on the passage of time and those who come across our voyages, however quickly or unexpectedly, that caught me off-guard. The production effectively captures the bittersweet ennui of summer, and makes for a gentle, lightly stirring Saturday afternoon."

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 4/25/23 at 9:07pm

NY Stage Review:

4 stars: Summer, 1976: An Odd Couple of Midwestern Moms

https://nystagereview.com/2023/04/25/summer-1976-an-odd-couple-of-midwestern-moms/

3 stars: Summer, 1976: A Fuzzy Memory Play

https://nystagereview.com/2023/04/25/summer-1976-a-fuzzy-memory-play/

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 4/25/23 at 9:08pm

The Wrap is positive:

‘Summer, 1976’ Broadway Review: Laura Linney and Jessica Hecht Fall in Like With Each Other

David Auburn’s new play beautifully depicts a most ordinary of friendships

https://www.thewrap.com/summer-1976-broadway-review-laura-linney-jessica-hecht/

"Linney and Hecht are not in their 20s, and so “Summer, 1976” is very much a memory play. They don’t so much enact what happened that year but rather tell us what happened. For those theatergoers who might have experienced a moment of dread as soon as these two actors sat down and started to speak, there will also soon arrive a moment of relief when it is obvious that Linney and Hecht are in the hands of a great storyteller who knows precisely how to elevate the language to turn ordinary lives and events into something significant and worth our rapt attention."

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 4/25/23 at 9:10pm

WSJ is positive:

‘Summer, 1976’ Review: Laura Linney and Jessica Hecht’s Blooming Broadway Friendship

The two actresses portray women recalling their growing closeness as young mothers in a sensitive new play by Pulitzer Prize winner David Auburn.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/summer-1976-review-laura-linney-and-jessica-hechts-blooming-broadway-friendship-5897cf6f

"Directed with his customary sensitivity by the veteran Daniel Sullivan (who also helmed, among many distinguished productions, Mr. Auburn’s Pulitzer Prize winner “Proof&rdquo, the play does in fact have the languorous but appealing vibe of a sleepy summer, initially uneventful, but with accumulating undercurrents of emotional complexity as Diana (Ms. Linney) and Alice (Ms. Hecht) gradually open up to one another. Not incidentally, Mr. Auburn’s play gives Ms. Linney and Ms. Hecht—two of our finest stage actors—an opportunity to display, without a moment of histrionics, or even conventionally structured drama, their admirably honed gifts."

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 4/25/23 at 9:10pm

A- from EW

Summer, 1976 review: Laura Linney and Jessica Hecht soar on Broadway

Two women look back at three months that changed their lives in small and surprising ways.

 

https://ew.com/theater/theater-reviews/summer-1976-review-laura-linney-jessica-hecht-broadway/

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 4/25/23 at 9:12pm

Vulture is positive:

Laura Linney and Jessica Hecht Find Depth in the Small Scale of Summer, 1976

https://www.vulture.com/2023/04/theater-review-linney-hecht-auburn-summer-1976.html

"The scale of Summer, 1976 makes it easy to dismiss. I’d joked to a friend that it’s almost like Linney and Hecht have decided to do a play in their backyard, not realizing that a bunch of Manhattan Theatre Club subscribers are watching. I wonder if the play would be a better fit in a smaller house — it’s being recorded as an audiobook, too, and will probably excel when Linney and Hecht are so close to your ears — but in the midst of a run of spring openings averse to subtlety, watching something as specific as this on Broadway was a relief. (Even something centered on a great performance like Prima Facie is amped up to 11.) Everything need not be some big occasion. It’s enough that Diana and Alice both seem like real people with dense and fully realized histories, and that they are played with such care by such thoughtful actors. They don’t experience anything grandly triumphant or devastating, but the play offers the challenge of sitting quietly, meeting them at their level, and considering what is big from that vantage."

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 4/25/23 at 9:14pm

Theatremania:

Review: Laura Linney and Jessica Hecht in New Broadway Gem Summer, 1976

https://www.theatermania.com/news/review-laura-linney-and-jessica-hecht-in-new-broadway-gem-summer-1976_1699824/

"Watching Linney and Hecht’s extremely grounded performances, you will inevitably be reminded of your own friendships, current and former. The play speaks to something quite relatable and examines dynamics with an exceptional amount of complexity, depth, and pathos. Because of that, Summer, 1976 is a must-see–a rare perfect play with two brilliant performances at the center. Maybe you can bring a friend, or even make a new one while you’re there."

[MayAudraBlessYou2]

Posted: 4/25/23 at 9:53pm

THIS is a NYT Critics Pick but not Prima Facie??? LOL. Are we in the Upside Down?

The play was one giant shoulder shrug for me. 

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 4/25/23 at 10:01pm

DTLI Consensus: In David Auburn’s latest, Jessica Hecht and Laura Linney make a perfect couple. 

9 positive (including the NYT), 3 mixed.

https://didtheylikeit.com/shows/summer-1976/

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 4/25/23 at 10:41pm

Variety

‘Summer, 1976’ Review: Laura Linney and Jessica Hecht Give Stellar Performances in an Affecting Broadway Two-Hander on Friendship

https://variety.com/2023/legit/reviews/summer-1976-review-laura-linney-broadway-1235594092/

[Dylan Smith4]

Posted: 4/25/23 at 11:18pm

MayAudraBlessYou2 said: "THIS is a NYT Critics Pick but not Prima Facie??? LOL. Are we in the Upside Down?

The play was one giant shoulder shrug for me."

I'm right there with you there!

[CityLights3]

Posted: 4/26/23 at 9:38am

Exceptional reviews.  Quite possibly game changing.  The review that says not everything (including great performances like Jodi Comer) needs to be dialed up to an 11 hit the nail on the head.  Yes, it probably could have run for 8 months with this cast off Broadway, but to have a tranquil yet poignant and meaningful play like this on Broadway is somehow cathartic.  Amongst all the chaos and bombastic pounding of timely plays and musicals being produced, this one that takes a beat and looks at time in a very unique way is probably my favorite performed of the entire season.  Bravo to both actresses, especially Linney who I thought was every bit as powerful as Comer in PF in a less-is-so-much-more-sometimes type of way. 

Updated On: 4/26/23 at 09:38 AM