8 / 10
Dad Don’t Read This is messy and raw and doesn’t really go anywhere, but the fierce energy of its voice and its sharply observed characters–and particularly those moments where the play’s casually realist surface cracks open to reveal a weirder sense of narrative time or a stunning, mystifying image–will keep it in my mind for a long time.
7 / 10
Dad Don’t Read This resolves, in many ways, but there’s an unfilled spot left at its center. Amid the warmth and humor of her portrait of teenagehood, Smith is touching on a cold and bracing thing. Sometimes, people, like pixels, can just flicker out.
Eliya Smith’s Dad Don’t Read This, directed by Chloe Claudel, will present additional performances and a final extension. The show features performances by Drama Desk winner Amalia Yoo.
Dad Don't Read This, a new play by Eliya Smith is now playing Off-Broadway at St. Luke's Theatre. See what the critics are saying in BroadwayWorld's Review Roundup here.
Following the breakout success of her Off-Broadway debut Grief Camp, playwright Eliya Smith will bring audiences deeper into the lives of teenagers with the world premiere of Dad Don’t Read This.
