Washington Post
- Somewhat Recommended
"... Director Joe Banno and his cast in the American Century Theater’s production tread the tightrope between drama and farce with mixed results. As the dreaded Sister Mary, Cam Magee, a seasoned actress with considerable classical chops, uses her mellifluous tones to great effect early on. But later, when she starts to unravel and rail at the sins of five former students, she’s too mild and, well, sane. The actors playing the students go for farce while Magee underplays. The styles don’t quite mesh."
Washington Examiner
- Highly Recommended
"... Certainly, the world has changed considerably since 1980, as has the Catholic Church. But a glance at the headlines in almost any newspaper on any given day will suggest that the issues -- control, bigotry, hypocrisy, absolutism -- that bothered Durang when he wrote "Sister Mary" are still in play today, making his words worth hearing again."
Talkin Broadway
- Recommended
"... Christopher Durang may have written Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All for You in 1979, but director Joe Banno's current production at American Century Theatre in Arlington, Virginia, shows that the play's concerns are as timely—and incendiary—as ever. The specific issues may be different now, but the current political season demonstrates how achieving coexistence between specific religious beliefs and secular life remains controversial."
Washington Times
- Recommended
"...It’s all there: the chunky blonde oak teacher’s desk, the ancient blackboard, and, perhaps most importantly, the centrally mounted crucifix flanked by three mandatory portraits. A classic portrait of Jesus is placed at the center of this arrangement, flanked on one side by a portrait of the current pope—in 1979, that was the newly-elected John Paul II, while in the 1950s it was likely the ascetic Pius XII—and on the other, a portrait of America’s only Catholic President, the late and continually lamented John F. Kennedy. The symbolism was and is perfect, with Christ at the center and with his successors, the current pope and the Catholic Caesar by His side."
ShowBizRadio
- Recommended
"... American Century Theater’s Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You is an awkwardly funny hour of theatre. Durang’s satirical bite combines with an outstanding scenic design and staging, which makes for an interesting experience. It is probably not intended for the faint-of-heart Catholic, but many a recovering Catholic may enjoy wholeheartedly."
DCTheatreScene
- Somewhat Recommended
Written in 1979, Christopher Durang’s scathing commentary on aspects of strict Catholic educational dogma still has the same bite as its inaugural production; it dredges up his take on sins of the stereotypical sociopathic education imposed on unsuspecting youngsters.
DC Theater Arts
- Highly Recommended
"... If you want to go back in time to those glorious days when you were a tortured student in parochial school taught by the “nun from Hell,” then consider signing up for a scathing session of rigorous, dogmatic classroom instruction as Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It all for You."
