Reviews of the original production

Here are a couple of reviews of the original production of FIRST LOVE, directed by Erin Mee. Keep in mind, as you read these that the play was written by Mee knowing that his daughter would direct the production. The actors played Harold and Edith also had an impact on Mee and the physicality and, most importantly, the humor of his play. By adapting the play, I feel that we address the interest of each particular actor in our production and of the creative team behind it, just as they did in this original performance.

New York Times Review- Pay attention to how the critic talks about how the actors int he play "don't appear quite that old". Yes, the actors were significantly older than we are, but it is interesting to note that due to the nature of the play, they look younger anyway. Perhaps we can begin to use this to our advantage: a "robust senior citizenship"!

That Seventies Show- This review pays much more attention to the fact that they are seventy. This article does balance out with the previous one in that it reminds us that despite the rejuvenating humor and physicality of the play, the beauty of the play lies in their age itself.

CurtainUp Review- Notice how this article make some assumptions about the characters that we've hesitated with during our rehearsals. Are Harold and Edith lefties? Perhaps some of these conclusions that the reviewer reaches about the play are due to the differences between our two versions. But it is still interesting to read what the review has to say about the Flower Seller (not that none of the articles refer to her as such!) and Edith in light of what we've discussed at rehearsals.