Washington Post - Highly Recommended
"...This may be the first time you’re hearing of Paul Downs Colaizzo, but on the evidence of his crackling new play, “Really Really,” the name bears committing to memory. A sexually charged comedy-drama about self-serving collegians of a coldly calculating variety, “Really Really” sucks you in with its brio and caustic wit and holds you with its teasingly clever double-edged plot."
Washington Examiner - Highly Recommended
"... Deception. Manipulation. Fear. Contempt. Envy. Anguish. These are some of the elements that make up Paul Downs Colaizzo's brilliant new play "Really Really" at Signature Theatre. It's a work that looks closely at the lives of the "Me Generation," providing shock, awe and laughter, no matter what your age."
Examiner - Recommended
"... So, on the surface, we have an old-fashioned “He said, She said” story which keeps the audience guessing—actually, more like switching sides, with each layer peeled away. And while the story keeps the viewer’s opinion switching back and forth, the amazing set is designed with a “She” side and a “He” side that has the viewer’s head physically turning from side to side, as the action goes from the girls’ neat apartment to the guys’ crib, complete with crushed beer cans and an X-box."
Talkin Broadway - Recommended
"... While the entire cast works together as smoothly as interlocking gears, Lind is riveting in the pivotal role and Casey stands out as a college student who never lets his classes get in the way of what's really important."
Washington City Paper - Somewhat Recommended
"... What follows is a two-hour whodunit in which even the “it” remains in question; there’s a charge of rape, and a clear indication that something of a sexual nature did in fact transpire, but between booze blackouts on the one hand and a seriously unreliable narrator on the other, there’s no way—by design—to know what might actually have happened. Which: OK? You’re a clever plot-spinner. Tell me why I should care about the people caught up in it."
Washingtonian - Highly Recommended
"...Much like John Patrick Shanley’s Pulitzer Prize–winning play, Doubt, at the core of Really Really is a he said/she said conflict that threatens to disturb the lives of everyone involved, however tangentially. As the play opens, two drunk college students, Grace (Lauren Culpepper) and Leigh (Bethany Anne Lind), peel themselves off the sidewalk and stumble into their shared house, laughing hysterically and incoherently about nothing in particular. Grace’s arm is covered in blood, which doesn’t really seem to trouble her; Leigh falls onto the couch, where she proceeds to check her voicemail four times in a row. It isn’t till the next morning that Grace, now cheerfully bandaged and on her way to a youth leaders conference, questions a now-belligerent Leigh about last night’s drunken hookup. “We all make mistakes!” Grace tells her. “Last night, you just made the hottest mistake on campus.”"
BrightestYoungThings - Recommended
"... Despite the comic inconsistency, Really Really is a highly entertaining night out, and a ballsy choice for Signature. If my experience was any indication, I think I may have been missing out on something special going on in Arlington for the past few years."
ShowBizRadio - Somewhat Recommended
"...Really Really, however, is less ambiguous than Roshomon and Doubt, which are virtuoso exercises in fascinating uncertainty. The balance of questionable and contradictory allegations in Really Really is lopsided. And Colaizzo’s writing lacks assurance — from time to time, for example, he throws in a lines about genitals. Though often out of character, such talk is usually good for a laugh at least."
Alexandria Times - Recommended
"... “Really Really” is a cautionary tale with a familiar ring — that of the headline-grabbing trial of privileged college scion George Huguely V in the ongoing Yardley Love case, where similar patterns of alcohol, parties, hook-ups and violence are a familiar way of life on a college campus."
MD Theatre Guide - Highly Recommended
"...As someone who works in this business and has been attending theatre for over 37 years, I can honestly say if you want to witness the birth of the next great thing in the theatre you must get to Signature Theatre and see Really Really. It does not matter who you root for in the show, I just want you to witness an amazing group of young performers and be introduced to playwright and future Tony Award winner Paul Downs Colaizzo."
DCTheatreScene - Recommended
If plays are judged by the sheer force of their emotional impact, Really Really – the world premiere of playwright Paul Colaizzo’s contemporary, college-set drama, now playing at Signature Theatre – is an unvarnished success. This is a play of such raw intensity that you’ll be afraid to blink for fear of missing something.
