CAESAR AND DADA — Helen Hays Recommended
“...a frolicsome, piquantly brainy new play...This is heady stuff and Currin ups the smarts quotient by layering her motifs...there's much to admire in Caesar and Dada, with its exuberant historical allusions and lively, humorous evocations of character.” - The Washington Post
“The show...outs itself almost immediately as a colorful love letter to the dreams of theatre and discovery...The realms through which we leapfrog in Caesar and Dada are not so much geographical or temporal as they are personal and emotional...we drop down into each characters dreamy subconscious, sampling each artist's personal swirl of creative impulses via song, dance, trick props and bits of theatre magic...It's a thrill, over two acts, to witness the historical layer underlie and inform the interpersonal layer...What unfolds (and no, it's not exactly what you come to expect) times out elegantly on all levels...Caesar and Dada bursts with allusions and illusions, conflicts and love affairs, gritty truths and fantastical flights.” - DC Theatre Scene
“...there's a really compelling relationship story line that anchors everything...There's a heck of a lot to appreciate here. And there's a lot to reflect on later. Literally and metaphorically, it holds a mirror up to life.” - Magic Time!
“Currin definitely packs a lot in. The stuff of dreams? The stuff of shivering nightmares. Ultimately, Currin's truth-seeking missile hits us all where we sit....the last line is guaranteed to leave you speechless.” - DC Metro Theatre Arts
Hercules In Russia
“When a Washington-area playwright completes a work which is intellectually provocative, artistically satisfying, and powerfully authentic, it is a cause for celebration for those who love local theater. We have moved one step further in developing our own theatrical voice – mature, subtle, complex, full of moral conflict and, above all, fully conscious of the real-world considerations which weigh upon our desire to do good. Brothers and sisters, break out the champagne. We have a winner.” - DC Theatre Scene
Benched
“...bright and funny one-liners...In a series of scenes that are across months, BENCHED grows less giggly as life pulls the three friends in different directions and reaches a poignant conclusion.… - The Washington Post
“Recommended. Currin brings the matter to a realistic conclusion and clear direction by Matt Ripa shows that even when the bond between friends is heartfelt, personalities and people are not interchangeable, and that a departure impacts the delicate balance of their interactions despite their shared charges as benched Moms...Currin covers timeless issues of setting life priorities, self-reliance, and confidence (or lack thereof).… - DC Theatre Scene
“Currin's dialogue is fast and furious. She surprises us with the humor of the situation but also gently reminds us that we all struggle with balancing life. This play is about the value of true friendship in the face of turmoil and uncertainty. The play will appeal to both men and women who have ever been surprised by life or by how others cope with life.… - Georgetown Patch
The Dancing Princesses
“An impressive and creative, if at times teary musical adaptation of the classic Brothers Grimm tale. Excellent performances and outstanding production values make for the kind of off-Broadway caliber experience we've come to expect...… - OurKids.com
"The delicate rhythms of grief are explored in Imagination Stage's affecting The Dancing Princesses, featuring a winsome score by Christopher Youstra and a compassionate book by Allyson Currin...The issues of death are handled with exquisite sensitivity and respect...If there is joy to be found in death, THE DANCING PRINCESSES has uncovered it, in the lovely way it shows young people how loved ones who have died are always with us - they live when we dance.… - DC Theatre Scene
Treadwell: Bright and Dark
“(Melissa) Flaim's crisp, restrained movements contrast nicely with the flamboyance and complexity of the script, which spins rapidly from the heartrending to the hilarious moments in Treadwell's existence...It is a testament to Currin's expertise as a playwright and Flaim's abilities as an actress that those sufferings, tempered with humor, combine in Treadwell: Bright and Dark to suggest that Treadwell was one of America's most intriguing and accomplished modern writers.… - The Washington Examiner
"...beautifully executed one-woman show...Treadwell's complicated layers are revealed with skill and fearlessness, with the obvious aid of Allyson Currin's beautiful text. The precision of the language is a striking element of the production, which manages to stay within the confines of the time period and within the walls of Treadwell's head all at once.… - DC Theatre Scene
Unleashed! The Secret Lives of
White House Pets:
“Sometimes you're lucky.
Sometimes you're good.
Sometimes you're both.
Good, because Allyson Currin's script manages just the right giggle-inducing
puns and chortle-inducing political references to keep the 7-to-10-year-old
set and their parents engaged.” - The Washington Post
Church of the Open Mind:
“Washington is no stranger to new plays by local writers,
but it’s hard to remember the time two such scripts opened
almost simultaneously in worthy productions…Currin, the author
of several plays and also an actress around town, is a natural with
breezy comedy. But it approaches gale force when she uses laughs
in evoking the ways in which only family members can hurt each other…” - The Washington Post
“Fascinating on a number of levels, Charter’s production
of this verbal fireworks play leaves you with the I’m-so-glad-I-came
feeling…Keith Bridges (director) keeps the fireworks sparking,
but gives the audience time to catch its breath at appropriate moments.
That’s a good thing for there are always sparks yet to fly
and you wouldn’t want to miss them while pondering the bon
mots and pithy points that went before.” - Potomac Stages
Learning Curves:
“Allyson Currin’s plays are fast and chatty…awfully
funny. The talk in these plays in so bright and relentless –
so fizzy in Learning Curves that the actors literally swirl and
swoon to match the excitement of the language.” - The Washington Post
“Ally Currin is a Washington actress and playwright best
known for giving funny performances of other people’s work.
But with two of her scripts…premiering just weeks apart on
different D.C. stages, it may be time to start viewing her as a
playwright, first and foremost.” - Washington City Paper
The Subject:
“Currin’s ability to write natural-sounding dialogue
that is also revealing of the mental state of the characters is
one strength of the play. The other is her careful plotting that
carries the story through from opening to closing logically with
no loose ends to trouble you even as you think back after the play,
but which never seems to telegraph where the story is going to end
up.” - DC North
Fur and Other Dangers:
“A riotous comedy…whip-smart dialogue…You are
lulled into considering Fur and Other Dangers a fun, fast-moving
romp – until the second act, when things take a darker turn…
‘Fur’ is a whiskery delight.” - The Washington Times
Amstel in Tel Aviv:
“… a quick, easy-to-take buddy story…you feel
that this 75-minute journey through the vicissitudes of their lives
deserves to be a little bit longer.” - The Washington Times
“… a pair of well-tuned…characterizations we
quickly latch onto through crisp renderings of some of the freshest,
most sparkling dialogue around. Trouble is, there simply isn’t
enough of it. During the curtain call, I considered raising my hand
to ask if the actors might be kind enough to do it again.” - Potomac Stages
Dancing With Ourselves:
“ Though she never sets foot onstage, actress Allyson Currin
has to be counted the star of the two-comedy evening…she has
written one play and directed the other with the same mocking amusement
at life’s indignities that always inflects her performances.
Those lucky enough to have seen her…will very nearly be able
to trace the arch of her eyebrow in the lines she’s penned
for her pair of lovesick alter-egos…The patter Currin has
written for the two is a hoot…(The actors’ work), and
the author’s savvy way with one-liners, results in a comedy
that concludes long before patrons will want it to.” - Washington City Paper
“[Dancing With Ourselves is] apparently a first work. If
so, that makes this confidently-written exploration of platonic
friendship all the more impressive…before long you’ll
learn to shout back at the both of them the obvious romantic solution
under their noses. Miss Currin is too wise for that, though.” - The Washington Times
“ Right in step…a wry, one-act portrait.” - The Washington Post
Colleagues' Thoughts
“Ally Currin writes characters that are real, funny, interesting and most importantly – believable. She has a great knack for comic timing and giving her stories the room to breath and be unexpected journeys for both the audience and the actor. She has a unique voice that captures the contemporary human spirit in a wonderful way.… - Eric Schaeffer, Artistic Director, Tony Award-winning Signature Theatre
“Allyson Currin is that rarity in theatre, a gifted playwright who has both a passion for her story and a technical understanding of what it takes to make a play work onstage...Allyson is on the verge of a major critical and popular success that will make all of us who have worked with her smile and say, 'I knew her when...' This is because she has it all; intelligence, verbal dexterity, the instincts of an actress, the soul of a philosopher and the playfulness of your favorite companion.… - Jack Marshall, Artistic Director, The American Century Theatre
“Her work is astonishingly diverse: from pieces that mine the comedy in everyday life with fierce precision to Gothic dramas filled with poetry and politics. Allyson Currin is one of DC's most valuable playwrights.… - Jeremy Skidmore, director, and former Artistic Director, Theatre Alliance
“Ally Currin's words never fail to amaze me; she writes with such warmth but at the same time challenges the audience with new ways of looking at characters and story. Absolutely one of my favorite playwrights.… - Chris Youstra, composer/lyricist
“Allyson Currin has grown into one of the most in demand playwrights in the Washington region for good reason. She has a keen intelligence and a slightly askew lens that give her work off-beat, on-the-mark humor and beautiful insight into our wonderfully foolish selves.… -Lee Mikeska Gardner, director
“Allyson Currin writes with such panache. She wields comic swords even while delving into characters' darker moments. It is this kind of texture that makes her work so immediate and magnetic.… - Helen Pafumi, Artistic Director, The Hub Theatre
“Allyson Currin has an ear for dialogue second to none. Her characters crackle with intelligence, perspective and off-beat humor. Never predictable, never pat, her people (and animals) ring with truth.… - Nick Olcott, director
“Allyson Currin has a deft hand for the humorous and light, while being able to mine more complex themes in abstract but captivating ways.… - Brad Watkins, Managing Director, Olney Theatre Center
“Ally Currin is one of DC's most successful playwrights – intelligent, hip and provocative.… - Blake Robison, Artistic Director, Round House Theatre
“Ally writes with passion and compassion for her characters so that everyone with a heart can be touched.… - Matt Conner, Nevermore
“The play-goers answer to Tina Fey. Audience favorite Allyson Currin keeps an unfailing finger on the pulse of the ridiculous and the sublime in us all – whip-smart observant storytelling from a playwright at the top of her game. Currin is synonymous with standing-room-only entertainment.… - Leslie Kobylinski, Artistic Director, First Draft
“Ally Currin writes in a way that ensnares us in her sharp, witty and intelligent worlds. She has a flare for evocative humor and insight.… - Jon Cohn, Artistic Director, Mutineer Theatre Company
“Fiercely poignant and funny. Haunting characters with an evocative edge of humor.… - Kirsten Kelly, director
