Reviews
"In writing this biographical piece, Van Trease has Dorothy alternately speak directly to the audience and smoothly transition into the main action. This theatrical device of the protagonist being both “outside” and “within” the story works splendidly. It is an authentic draught of the satiric poet, short story writer, and critic. This playlet won’t tell all, but it will pull you into the story of “Dottie.” The bilaterally talented Van Trease (as author and principal) deserves kudos for resurrecting this unforgettable wit of the mid-twentieth century."
theatrescene.net - Deirdre Donovan - June 25, 2009
"You just can't give a bad performance with a script like this. Some performances stand out especially well here, though. Van Trease is a wonderful Parker, showing us both Parker's wit and the disappointment behind it—often simultaneously."
NYTheatre.com review - Kimberly Wadsworth - Jul 20, 2008
"The material selected zeroes in on relationships between men and women, often using Parker's fiction to demonstrate her factual love life. Thus we meet several of the real whistling lads of the title: her first husband, Edwin Parker; the playwright Charles MacArthur; and lesser-known paramours as well. The adaptation is at its most impressive when it is creatively played with, as in "A Telephone Call," in which the dialogue is delivered by three women from three different time periods....Van Trease's Dottie is the most persuasive seen in recent years."
Backstage - Karl Levett - June 18, 2009
"Maureen Van Trease is — if you’ll pardon the expression — a dead ringer for Dorothy Parker, that legendary quipster and writer of thanatoptic light verse, short stories and criticism. Van Trease does a good job of connecting the two levels of reality....Her performance is also great, undoubtedly closer to the real Parker than Jennifer Jason Leigh (who was much criticized for her slurred diction in the Rudolph film). And the rest of the ensemble gamely attack their multiplicity of parts in scenes both serious and silly."
Travalanche - Trav S. D. - June 2009
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