Review by DC Metro Theater Arts
Directed by Neill Hartley, the entire ensemble of six is perfectly cast, spot-on in its uproarious characterizations, and masterful in its delivery.
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Review by Philly Mag
What was especially impressive here is that The Lyons isn’t simply a collection of great punchlines—it’s a real play with real characters, and Weisband’s performance has some unexpectedly poignant overtones.
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Review by Philly.com
The one thing not in short supply were the laughs. Irreverent, often foul and absurdist, Silver’s scathing observations and wicked one-liners were delivered beautifully by the entire cast.
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Review by Delco Culture Vultures
Neill Hartley was the perfect choice to direct Nicky Silver’s “The Lyons” for ISIS Productions because he is also an actor who tours in one-man shows and has learned the secret to comic delivery: it’s all in the timing.
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Review by Hugh Hunter
What a delightful, raucous black comedy! As Ben — the sour, loose-lipped dying family patriarch — Jon Zak’s performance by itself was worth the price of admission. And comically out-of-sorts Kirsten Quinn, as daughter Lisa, was not far behind. (Hard to get your life together when your mother runs off with your AA Sponsor!) Not too much that was funny about son Curtis, a pathetic loser. And then there was Renee, the impossible, pixie matriarch of this bunch. What a brood! Playwright Nicky Silver’s head is in a wild place. I don’t know if the zany, comic-tragic flair of The Lyons owes to his script or to all the verve your actors brought to their roles—I suppose it was a mix of the two. The situation of Curtis was so singularly tragic it made the play a little herky-jerky. But that’s OK — life is messy — and as the mother, your triumphant, anti-hero exit sums up the self-centered orneriness of ordinary life. Silver may not be right, but he’s not wrong either. The Lyonsworks as black metaphor, and unlike a lot of new comedy, your show is not trying to be funny —it just is!
Review by Broad Street Review
The obliviousness of Rita and the kids makes The Lyons deliciously uncomfortable as well as funny, because Hartley doesn’t let them play Silver’s barbed dialogue just for laughs.