SUMMER, 1976 Reviews

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. "

NYT Critic's Pick from Laura Collins-Hughes

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

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/

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/

WSJ is positive:

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."

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."

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.

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/

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