”it meets all expectations.”

“With director Fred Sternfeld at the helm, this show is not only intriguing and thought-provoking; it is marvelously staged and has set the artistic standard for future BNC productions.”

“Sternfeld is best known for taking moments that are intricate on paper and transforming them into vibrant and accessible scenes on stage. He nicely handles all that LaBute’s script throws at him, all the while keeping the audience from seeing what is coming around the next corner.”

“Doug Kusak has created a thoroughly likable, charming and sympathetic character, which is essential in order for one layer of the storyline to implode to reveal the next layer. Thanks to Kusak’s keen performance, the moment you think you have this fellow and this play figured out, you're wrong.”

“Leighann Niles DeLorenzo is marvelous as Belinda, a damaged, vulnerable but still vivacious young woman who is stuck in a dissolving marriage.”

“Michael May’s Cody is a brooding, intense, wonderfully portrayed counterpart to Kusak’s Man.”

”There is not a moment in this play when these characters fail to be authentic, engaging and interesting.”

“The Bang and the Clatter is a welcome addition to the Cleveland theater landscape. It could not have opened on a better note.”

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”Ably directed by Fred Sternfeld”

”It’s an impressive debut.”

”the naturalistic dialogue is both funny and savage.”

“Under Sternfeld’s watchful direction, the three characters interact with each other like two male predators toying with their female victim. Whether conversing or silent, they continually communicate with their eyes and body language. Note, for example, Cody’s seething anger, Belinda’s visible fear and discomfort, and Man’s dissembling nature as he recounts a baldly racist incident on a plane. The action never lags in the two-hour, one-act play.”

“The cast is first-rate. Michael May triumphs as the hostile Cody, a successful black man in a white-bread town. Alternately abusive and defensive, Cody remains paranoid about color. He elicits an equal amount of sympathy and repugnance as someone who uses his race as both protective armor and deadly weapon.”

”Doug Kusak is outstanding as Man, a charming jokester, which makes his blatant racism even more menacing. Man’s final monologue, using the chilling “N” word, made me shudder.”

”The waiflike Leighann Niles DeLorenzo is perfect as the needy Belinda, a “trophy wife” and unwitting pawn between a husband who no longer loves her and Man, who still does. Belinda’s monologue about why she married Cody is heartbreaking.”

”Sean Derry’s speckled black-and-white minimalist set makes its obvious point. All scene and costume changes take place in full view, reminding the audience that this is a play in which everything is controlled, including what you see and hear. For the jogging scene, the stagehand first sprays Cody with water to simulate sweat. It’s ingenious."

“The intimate three-quarter-in-the-round space serves the production extremely well.”

”As the newest theatrical kid on the block, The Bang and the Clatter Theatre Company begins its Cleveland residency with a loud and triumphant blast.”

“well produced”

”B & C’s production, under the adept direction of Fred Sternfeld, is on track.”

“the pacing is appropriate and there is little time for the mind to wander.”

“The cast is excellent. Doug Kusak, who has a wonderful way of playing with words and the mobile face to amaze and amuse, is tremendous as Man, the high school acquaintance. The role was played by Ben Stiller in the New York production, and it is difficult to believe that he was any better than Kusak.”

”Michael May, who was outstanding in Dobama’s production of ‘TAKE ME OUT,’ again hits a homer as Cody, a man driven by early-life demons.”

”Leighann Niles DeLorenzo … is believable as Belinda.”

”Rachel Zake ... highlights Cody’s insecurities as the Waitress.”