Review Roundup: HEARTBREAK HELP at The Dorie Theatre At The Complex

HEARTBREAK HELP runs through October 1 at the Dorie Theatre at The Complex. The comedy, which originally premiered in 1996, has been cut down from its original two hours to seventy minutes.

HEARTBREAK HELP follows four women on the self-help retreat, "Women, Writer, Hero." Margo, Paula, Andromeda, and Sage are all sharing a room, and two double beds, at the cheap accommodations at the Joshua Tree motel. They are all opposites of one another, which sets this hilarious retreat in motion, though in the end they forge a bond none of them could have dreamed of at the start.

The show stars Melissa Peterman as Margo, Teresa Ganzel as Paula, Marissa Jaret Winokur as Andromeda, and Sarah Gilman as Sage. The play was written by Justin Tanner, and is directed and produced by Stan Zimmerman.

Let's see what the critics had to say!

Paul Birchall, Stage Raw: Zimmerman's staging is wonderfully tight, and Tanner's one-liners and gags flow with the timing of a Swiss watch. It is surprising how much mileage a writer and a director can get out of four ladies engaging in a sort of No Exit series of interactions in a motel room... Zimmerman artfully fleshes out their relationships, which shift and change over the course of their time together: the mutual impatience between Paula and Margo segues into their joint dislike of Andromeda, and then to a gradual awareness that they have more in common than they at first realized... Performances are a delight. The production features an ensemble whose pedigree is almost too powerhouse for the tiny stage at the Dorie Theater.

Steven Stanley, Stage Scene LA: Predictable or not, what worked in the past still works today thanks to Tanner's gift for creating female characters that go beyond sitcom cutouts, Zimmerman's effervescent direction, and an ab-fab cast of three TV/stage vets with credits a mile long and one newcomer more than able to hold her own in such esteemed company... Kudos to designer Chris Soley for a just-right downscale desert hotel set (having the beds face each other is an inspired choice). From "dressed for the prom" Paula to Margo's edging-on-slutty outfits to Skye's teenage frump to Andromeda's closetful of caftans, costumes suit each character to a T. Stage manager Miranda Richardson's lighting and some nifty song choices in her sound design complete a budget-conscious but first-rate intimate theater production design.

Harrison Held, Discover Hollywood: They are pretty much polar opposites and comedic madness and magic ensues. Joining them are the hysterical mother-daughter duo of Andromeda (Tony Award winner Marissa Jaret Winokur) and Sage (super talented Sarah Gilman) resulting in even more comedic madness and magic! Andromeda is a sincere and loving new-age healer who is excited to meet her guru Brynn Masters who is leading the retreat. Rebellious young daughter Sage has been dragged along because Mom won't trust her on her own at home and she's not a big fan of her Mom's practice. Lots and lots of laughs.

Photo: Adam Southard