Rotterdam

The play is intelligent and sensitive. Wellpresented, especially by the two principal actors. And it's genuinely thought-provoking. "Rotterdam," written by Jon Brittain, deals with the emotional turmoil that three women undergo as they confront their self-proclaimed identity as lesbians. Alice (Miranda Wynne) has avoided "coming out" to her parents by running off to Rotterdam with her boyfriend Josh (Ryan Brophy). In the seven years that they have lived in Holland their relationship has evolved from lovers to "best friends." Even though they quarrel constantly Josh continues to hope that they will be together again at some future time. That hope is dashed, however, when Alice meets Josh's sister Fiona (Ashley Romans) and the two women fall in love.

The subject matter could easily become all-too-earnest, or off-puttingly melodramatic. But Brittain's carefully crafted relationships and incisively witty dialog ensure that the play crackles with life. He cleverly uses familiar tropes from sit-coms and romantic comedies to thrust us into the emotional maelstrom of the characters, while never allowing us to feel disoriented. It is a clever strategy that stresses universality in this very specific situation.

The cast is extraordinary, playing with the unhesitating, spontaneous speed of life...Director Michael A. Shepperd keeps the pace brisk and the action nuanced. Rotterdam boasts a first class production team....Rotterdam is a polished, brilliant, not to be missed piece of theatre.

The characters do learn and grow, sure, but it hurts. Like it does! They make mistakes, some of them remarkably stupid and in context almost everyone does something ruthless or cruel or both. Remember -- once you leave Limbo, the next stop is Purgatory. And what is a greater purgatory than one's self at your worst?

Jon Brittain has written an urgently important play, intelligently exploring territory which other writers haven't yet really touched with such understanding, humor, and an overwhelmingly sense of humanity. Under director Michael A. Shepperd's impeccable care, his incredible cast pays unique homage to the courageous lives of people willing to eschew society's ridiculously constrictive rules and honoring the struggles of all those brave cultural warriors who shuck the religiously-based dogma that limits our lives.

This Skylight Theatre Company's production of playwright Jon Brittain's west coast premiere of ROTTERDAM receives a stunning mounting with a pitch-perfect aligning of talents supporting and complementing each other. Michael A. Shepperd deftly directs his spot-on cast of four bringing to life Brittain's detailed, sensitive, yet witty script on a person transitioning and its effects on those close to the day-to-day situations.

Playwright Brittain has wrought a compelling new age love story that is enhanced by its transcendent casting. Director Sheppard has fashioned an attractive showcase; Nailaa Aladdin Sanders' costumes are play perfect. - RECOMMENDED

Award-winning Jon Brittain has a sensitive but also clever handle on these players as they weave and feint through the tale of love under very peculiar circumstances. Tangled together with the potential tragedy of their lives is Brittain's very funny take on this “what-if.” Get ready to chuckle as this tale of love unfolds and starts going in both predictable and unexpected directions.

Critics'Choice. Absorbing…rich specificity. Pitch-perfect staging… so crisp that even the between-scenes set changes have choreography to them...

Rotterdam is funny, it's sad, it's wise, it's absurd, it's emotional, it's profound, and yes, it's topical. But don't let that scare you off.

Imagine that your husband, wife, boyfriend, or girlfriend suddenly announced that they were no longer the person you believed them to be, could you still remain coupled, or would this be a deal-breaker? It is precisely this question that lies at the heart of Jon Brittain's Olivier Award-winning Rotterdam, now getting a riveting, thrillingly staged West Coast Premiere at Skylight Theatre on Vermont.

Rotterdam has no heroes and no villains, just people doing their best in a difficult situation. It is a play that will not only make you think, but teach you about life experiences and identities you may not share, at a time in the world when understanding others and showing compassion feels so critical. Don't miss it.

...Wynne, Romans and Brophy exude a naturalness and generosity that transport you to the heart of the story — which is the struggle to hold on to love once you've found it.