Wipeout Reviews

Washington Post- Recommended

"...When you hit the beach, you count on waves. At the Pacific-shallows setting of Aurora Real de Asua's comedy "Wipeout," you're in for surges of life-affirming sentiment that scud and peak and wash through the tale with grace but a certain predictability. Watching this story about three 60-plus-year-old women taking their first surfing lesson, you are never far from a heartstring-tugging beat or a triumph-of-the-human-spirit epiphany, many of which you can see coming from a nautical mile off."

DC Theater Arts- Highly Recommended

"...The playwright Aurora Real de Asua, when asked by an interviewer to tell a bit about herself, replied, "I am a surfer, performer, and writer" - putting surfer first. As evidenced by the play she wrote called Wipeout (surferspeak for a wave-tossed tumble and plunge underwater), she knows a lot about the sport. So dedicated to surfing is she that her script sets the scene in the Pacific Ocean, where its four characters are afloat the entire time on foam surfboards, pretending to paddle through all their blocking and entrances and exits."

Talkin Broadway- Recommended

"...Wipeout, the heartfelt comedy by Aurora Real de Asua now in the Milton Theatre at Washington's Studio Theatre, showcases the experiences of three women of mature years-including three-time Helen Hayes Award recipient Naomi Jacobson-and the younger man tasked with teaching them how to surf. That may sound overly precious or clever, but it's a thoughtful (often hilarious and bawdy) depiction of how neither age nor, to some extent, health issues can stifle the urge to keep moving forward and learning."

MD Theatre Guide- Highly Recommended

"...In the surfing world, triangulation keeps you from floating too far from where you're supposed to be. When you're in the water, you pick two points on the shore that won't move so you can always orient yourself when the current sweeps you away. "Wipeout" at Studio Theatre illustrates the immovable points in life that keep us grounded in "gnarly" moments. Diving into the complexity, rather than senescence of women in their golden years, this production aptly rides a wave into a category all its own."

BroadwayWorld- Somewhat Recommended

"...Rather, in an unusual turn apparently unique to this production, director Danilo Gambini has all the action take place inside the waterfront apartment three elderly women are renting for a weekend in Santa Monica where they plan to take surfing lessons."