Written by Zayd Dohrn
Directed by Simon Levy
Produced by Stephen Sachs and Deborah Lawlor
Starring Kristin Carey, Ryan Doucette, Joanna Strapp
Critics Choice! - Los Angeles Times
“SUPERB COMEDY-DRAMA… Director Simon Levy has assembled an EXTRAORDINARY CAST in his EXQUISITELY WELL-REALIZED PRODUCTION.”
RAVE! – BroadwayWorld – “BRILLIANT!… RAZOR-SHARP, WITTY SCRIPT RECEIVES EXPERT DELIVERY BY ITS SPOT-ON CAST… Playwright Zayd Dohrn dazzlingly attacks, dissects and vividly presents the unusual concept of reborn dolls in the Fountain Theatre’s powerfully intriguing Los Angeles premiere of his Reborning. Simon Levy firmly directs his very talented cast of three… BRAVO TO ALL INVOLVED!”
RAVE! – Discover Hollywood – “DO NOT MISS IT! IT IS BEAUTIFULLY PORTRAYED AND A ‘MUST SEE’ PIECE OF THEATRE… It is a moving revelation of people searching for a guiding light and a way of unshackling themselves from a life of yearning… ALL THREE ACTORS TURN IN STUNNING PERFORMANCES, bringing to life their characters’ dilemmas, pain and palpable desperation. The light relief award has to go to Doucette for his impeccable timing and memorable displays of ‘penis power’, juxtaposing laughter onto an intensely, dark world. Strapp gives a powerful portrayal of a woman spiralling into an abyss, with her once satisfying art seemingly turning in on her, forcing her to acknowledge her empty lifestyle and isolation. Carey captures all the minutiae of a grieving mother and carries off the role with precision, aplomb and a neurotic kind of grace… The reaction of the audience was intense and although there were many light moments, the atmosphere was mainly charged with emotion and compassion. YOU COULD HEAR A PIN DROP and feel the mass attentiveness as lost souls touched more than just each other.”
RAVE! – Stage Raw – “DOHRN’S TIGHTLY CONSTRUCTED, 80-MINUTE PLAY PACKS A PUNCH; IN THE HANDS OF ITS EXCEPTIONAL CAST, THE ECONOMICAL DIALOGUE RADIATES WIT WHILE REMAINING FULL OF EMOTIONAL INTENSITY…. having its Los Angeles premiere at the Fountain Theatre under Simon Levy’s sure-handed direction… a heartbreaking Joanna Strapp… an endearing Ryan Doucette… an outstanding Kristin Carey… In the end, it is Carey’s vivid portrayal of willed restraint in the face of deep grief and rage that pulls both Kelly and the play together into A PROBING AND PROVOCATIVE EXPLORATION OF HEALING in the face of great tragedy.”
RAVE! – Rob Stevens – “YOU SHOULD REALLY EXPERIENCE THIS REMARKABLE PLAY!… director Simon Levy skillfully leads his two dynamic actresses in uncovering every nuance that the playwright has written into his characters… Kristin Carey is formidable and heart-breaking, often at the same time… Joanna Strapp gives an outstanding performance. Her Kelly is nearly an open festering wound that will never heal. Her haunting enactment will stay with you for a long time after you leave the theater… Ryan Doucette has a lot of fun playing with his creations, but he also has the acting chops to get serious when the situation darkens in the play’s final third… Reborning is barely 90 minutes but it is time well spent. DON’T MISS IT!”
RAVE! – StageSceneLA – “WOW!… LOS ANGELES THEATER AT ITS WORLD-CLASS BEST!… Riveting and ultimately redemptive…. GRIPPING THEATRICAL EXPERIENCE that an expert team of L.A. talents has BROUGHT TO ELECTRIFYING LIFE at the Fountain… Under Simon Levy’s adept direction, Reborning’s trio of leads all give POWERFUL, RICHLY-LAYERED PERFORMANCES.”
RAVE! – LASplash – “ANOTHER HIT!… emotionally moving… The FABULOUS ACTING was played with emotion and pathos, and the story kept the viewer engrossed and guessing for the whole hour and a half.”
RAVE! – TheLosAngelesBeat – “THE PLAY, ITS ACTORS, THE WRITING, DIRECTION, SET DESIGN AND LIGHTING ARE SIMPLY SUPERB!… comes highly recommended… SIMPLY IMPECCABLE!”
RAVE! – Night-Tinted Glasses – “A FASCINATING STORY!… Director Simon Levy chose A FINE CAST for this deeply individual drama which delves into such powerful material.”
RAVE! – LifeInLA – “Award-winning director Simon Levy, takes the audience on a roller coaster of emotions with this INCREDIBLY TALENTED CAST… Joanna Strapp gives a hauntingly emotional performance as Kelly spiraling downward while fighting her demons from the past… Ryan Doucette brings humor as well as love and emotional support to Kelly at her lowest point in a touching performance.”
RAVE! – TotalTheatre – “Reborning works well as a psychological study thanks to Dorhn’s tough-minded, insightful writing (which also has many blackly comic moments). BUT ABOVE ALL, THE PLAY BENEFITS FROM THE EXPERT CONTRIBUTIONS OF ITS THREE ACTORS.”
RAVE! – CultureSpotLA – “UNFORGETTABLE!… Director Simon Levy cast three actors who are talented and play their roles naturally and without artifice… Yes, this play focuses on dark recesses of the human psyche, but there are comedic moments too, and we also get a gentle lesson about the power of healing.”
GO! – L.A.Weekly – “THE PERFORMANCES ARE TOP-TIER.”
A memorable and moving play about unconditional love. How far would you go to create family?
In Reborning, a young artist who crafts custom-made dolls begins to suspect that a demanding client may be the mother who abandoned her at birth. As she tries to unravel the mystery, she discovers the path to her own “reborning.”
Los Angeles Premiere. Nominated for the San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Award, Best Original Script.
PRESS
L.A. Weekly Article – Reborning, a Subculture of Artists Who Create Realistic Dolls That Cost Thousands of Dollars