Washington Post - Recommended
"... if one is looking for a playwright who can filter out the clichés and deliver portraits of intelligent people with colorful, even bitterly funny points of view, Margulies is a writer to count on. Suffusing the plot, which takes place over the months of Sarah’s recuperation, is the intriguing issue of the unfairness of what James and Sarah must go through to try to stay together, considering the cushier circumstances of Richard and Mandy."
Washington Examiner - Highly Recommended
"... Margulies creates the story of a photojournalist, Sarah (Holly Twyford), and a reporter, James (Greg McFadden), who have experienced their eight-year-long relationship mainly in war zones. He analyzes their personal needs against the backdrop of war without sounding political or preachy."
MetroWeekly - Highly Recommended
"...Director Susan Fenichell has clearly worked hard with the show's four marvelous actors, as well as her sharp artistic team – including subtly amusing, clever work with costumes by Ivania Stack and sound by Eric Shimelonis – to create a measured tone and pace throughout the show. It never lags, and the plot's many small explosive devices reverberate long after they go off."
WeLoveDC - Recommended
"...Watching Time Stands Still is to witness a relationship cracking apart, as two people whose entire shared experience has consisted of an adrenaline rush that can’t be sustained, irrevocably come off the high. Its success then rests on strong performances rooted in naturalism, and luckily that’s a strength Studio Theatre has perfected. Otherwise, you might be asking yourself why you are watching yet another slice-of-life about relationship woes."
Talkin Broadway - Highly Recommended
"... Director Susan Fenichell has staged a beautifully intimate production of Donald Margulies' play Time Stands Still at Washington's Studio Theatre, anchored by a carefully constructed performance by Holly Twyford as a war photographer coping with both physical and emotional stress."
Washington City Paper - Recommended
"... But for the most part, Time Stands Still is pretty much the James and Sarah show. In her flinty role, Twyford understandably hates the dependency on her partner enforced by her casts and crutches. McFadden’s line readings take on a whiny quality of recitation at times, but this seems a valid choice for his character when describing events he’s (presumably) discussed with a therapist already. In any case, we buy that his devotion to Sarah outweighs any transgression she could confess."
Washingtonian - Recommended
"... the naturalistic drama of Time Stands Still can be absorbing, and as an example of contemporary drama, the first act is impressively rendered. Twyford lets tension inhabit her entire body, clenching and unclenching her fist repeatedly, but as her injuries heal, her physicality changes slightly, even if her personality is as prickly as ever. John McDermott’s set is a sprawling, modern apartment, just personal enough to appear perfect for a couple who presumably spend very little time there. One lone misstep is Twyford’s scars, which appear to be drawn on her with lipstick, and which undermine the thoughtfulness of the rest of the play. Love is a battlefield, Margulies seems to suggest, and it’s the invisible scars that take the longest to heal."
BrightestYoungThings - Highly Recommended
"... The emotional toll of combat, particularly among journalists and photographers, has recently become a popular topic to explore. Thrillers like The Hurt Locker and The Bang Bang Club are more visceral, using pulse-pounding footage to show why certain people always return to war zones. Documentaries like Restrepo and Hell and Back Again are relatively sensitive to how ordinary soldiers cope with their duty, as well as its aftermath. With Time Stands Still,the new production at The Studio Theatre, playwright Donald Margulies joins the fray of like-minded writers. His sharp, empathetic drama is all aftermath. Though war journalism is the agency for tension among the characters, understated marital drama is the source of its impact."
Washington Blade - Recommended
"...Helmed by New York director Susan Fenichell, the thoughtful production is smartly staged and well acted by a splendid cast. On Broadway, Laura Linney created the part of Sarah. At Studio, Twyford (openly gay) makes the role of the brave, witty, complicated woman her own. Twyford’s approach to Sarah’s physicality is particularly memorable — whether she’s walking tentatively on her painfully broken leg or clenching her good hand from the intense anxiety brought on by being away from the action."
ShowBizRadio - Recommended
"... In a four-character play, ensemble playing among the actors is a must, and this group plays as well together as any good string quartet. Timing of lines and silences and the actors’ non-verbal reactions are impeccable, and the pace of the action is well maintained without being hurried. The subject matter of the play is serious, but there are some well-played humorous moments, and the production’s tone is not allowed to become gloomy."
MD Theatre Guide - Recommended
"... Time Stands Still, Donald Marguiles’ Tony-nominated play, now playing at The Studio Theatre, seems like a logical choice to stage in the Washington, DC area. Dealing with a subject matter near and dear to the hearts of Washingtonians working in the international peace and conflict area, it considers the role of photo journalism in capturing the war du jour and the humans behind the camera lens. More specifically, it asks the question whether one can be completely detached from the atrocities one witnesses and whether moral ambiguities should (and do) come into play when capturing human strife. It is a good question and a relevant one at that as we consider the various conflicts playing out in our world from Africa to the Middle East."
DCTheatreScene - Highly Recommended
In a role originated on Broadway by Laura Linney, Holly Twyford plays Sarah with a saucy bitterness that becomes endearing and, ultimately, transfixing. She spends nearly an entire act sitting down with her leg propped up, but nevertheless commands a fierce presence.
