review - MEET THE DRYERS - Brelby Theatre Company

Mia Passarella and Devon Mahon
Photo by Anjali Patel

highlights from local critics reviews - (click link at bottom of each review to read complete review)

Click here for more information on this production that runs through April 30th.

 "Brelby Theatre Company's original play Meet the Dryers is a laugh filled journey set on a horrible Thanksgiving Day that focuses not only on this very funny family but on our obsession with social media....a loving family that oozes warmth and love. Brelby's production, while slightly uneven, is very fun, with as much charm and humor as the sweet and comical Dryer family. Teenager James, the youngest Dryer, has an active imagination and has been feeling left out, so he has taken creative liberties to post exaggerated, fictionalized stories about his family online. When the truth about James' online fiction comes out over Thanksgiving it creates even more strife than usual in the extended Dryer family. ...Writers Shelby Maticic, Megan O'Connor, and Luke Gomez have created interesting characters and a plot that is intriguing and keeps us wondering how it will end. ...The trio of writers have created individuals we can all identify with, along with an obsession that we almost all have. While the play is full of warmth and plenty of laughs, there are a couple of small issues. When we first meet each of the Dryer family members we see them instead as the fictionalized version that James has created. This is a bit jarring and confusing at first and, with ten characters to introduce this way and some of these fantasy sequences overstaying their welcome, it takes a while to set the main plot in motion. Also, in the second act, when things get more serious and heartfelt, there are several similar lines that are spoken in overlapping unison by different characters. While this is an interesting and different creative touch, it comes across as slightly pretentious, especially since it is completely different in tone and style from the rest of the play. The cast is composed entirely of Brelby company members which helps in achieving natural and realistic relationships among the characters. They are all gifted in creating believable people and in portraying them realistically with both humor and charm....Director Shelby Maticic has done an exceptional job of staging the action so that all spaces of Chrispen's excellent set are used effectively ...Pretty much everyone today is obsessed with social media...It is that fascination that is expertly portrayed in Meet the Dryers along with a family anyone would love to call their own. While the main plot is slight, and I have a few small issues with the script, it is the combination of fun, identifiable characters with clean and smart direction and creative production design that turns this play into a charming, funny, heartwarming, and zany treat."  -Gil Benbrook, Talkin' Broadway (click here to read the complete review)