In Clay Reviews

Washington Post- Somewhat Recommended

"...What follows is not exactly a portrait of the artist: “In Clay,” a tenacious and captivating solo musical about a forgotten French ceramist, is passionately focused on the artist’s process. Its disinterest in a final product doesn’t make the jazzy 100-minute show feel unfinished, but rather like a meditation on the restless dilemma of thwarted promise."

MetroWeekly- Highly Recommended

"...Making its American premiere at Signature Theatre, following sellout runs in London, the jazz-infused portrait of early-20th-century French ceramicist and painter Marie-Berthe Cazin doesn’t have too much else in common with hard-rocking Hedwig. Except that both shows are powered by a knockout batch of songs, and the galvanizing force of a woman reclaiming her time, her art, and her story."

Talkin Broadway- Highly Recommended

"...Director Kimberly Senior has taken an intimate approach in the ARK Theatre: the audience members are guests in Cazin's home. At first, Finke's accent is not always easy to follow, but that resolves over the roughly 90-minute runtime. She is aware of her skill as an artist but never consciously shows herself off: as dressed by costume designer Shahrzad Mazaheri–wide-legged trousers, a vest over a blouse, a cardigan, and a headwrap–Cazin demonstrates her personal style without any extraneous fuss. (She covers herself with a smock before taking a ball of clay, wetting it down with water from a working sink, then using a potter's wheel to shape it into a pot.)"

Washington City Paper- Somewhat Recommended

"...It’s not for this critic, or anyone, to tell an artist when a work is complete or not. Even cracked pots are works of beauty as Cazin reminds us in the finale, “What’s in Between.” But I do wonder if just a little more molding, or a different glaze, might truly make In Clay the kind of work that’s impossible to ignore."

MD Theatre Guide- Highly Recommended

"...“In Clay” never quite finds the profound revelation it seems to be building toward as Marie’s life grows more complicated and songs more agonized. But the cliché of finding beauty in the broken is still sung plenty sweetly. Finke delivers a charming tour-de-force with a warm voice that never quavers. For a life near forgotten, “In Clay” is a feminist resurrection. At least for a moment, you’ll consider a pot differently."

BroadwayWorld- Highly Recommended

"...Washington audiences, take note: we're getting first look at something remarkable. Signature Theatre's American premiere of In Clay belongs in the company of Dear Evan Hansen, Come From Away, Strange Loop and Next to Normal — those lightning-in-a-bottle productions that electrified our local stages before capturing national attention. Don’t miss this special opportunity."

DC Theater Arts- Highly Recommended

"...In short, In Clay is a triumph of intention and execution. Every technical element is finely calibrated, every collaborator is working at the top of their game, and the result is a piece of theater that feels both intimate and quietly expansive. Marie-Berthe Cazin’s story is not presented because she was singular among artists or exceptional among women, but precisely because she was not."