Press

    Danny Gardner in A THOUSAND FACES: The Lon Chaney Musical
    Danny Gardner in A THOUSAND FACES

    Press

    • A THOUSAND FACES

      “This is musical theater at its finest!" 

      "This show has all the makings of a Broadway masterpiece. It’s just that amazing!”

      “A Thousand Faces has some of the best realized and most human characters I’ve ever seen in a stage musical. They feel whole, complex, and entirely 3-dimensional. And that’s entirely thanks to the excellent writing from Eric Lane. [...] Eric Lane knocked it out of the park with this book!

      – Daisy Rey. Watch Video HERE

      “The Encore Musical Theatre scored an enormous hit with the world premiere of A Thousand Faces: The Lon Chaney Musical.
      – The Sun Times. Full article HERE

      “Director Sam Scalamoni has assembled a talented cast to bring life to Eric Lane’s sensitive book, Rachel DeVore Fogarty’s music, and Kevin Forgarty’s lyrics.”
      – PULP

      Broadway World. First Look at Danny Gardner in A Thousand Faces
      See Photos HERE

      Broadway World. Backstage with Richard Ridge
      Sam Scalamoni and Danny Gardner Talk New Musical
      Watch Video HERE

    • IBIS

      "The plays are as clever and digestible as they are thought-provoking."
      - The New York Times. See full article HERE

      "Ibis leaves us with a sense of magic and mystery.”
      – THEATERMANIA. Full article HERE


      The best of the three is Lane’s Ibis, a clever parody of Raymond Chandler / Dashiell Hammett detective stories. … Lane’s dialogue between Tyrone and Sam is diverting and sharp.” 
      - Theaterscene.net 

      “With cleverly constructed dialogueIbis begins as a mystery in the style of film noir and ends like a Hemingway short story.”
      - Off Off Online. Full article HERE

      “Lane’s work is suffused with a haunting strangeness… this is the play that will stick most deeply in my memory.” 
      - Plays to See. International Reviews. Full article HERE 

      "A trio of solidly crafted and adventurous entries. Ibis by Eric Lane, weaves an intriguing tapestry out of the traditions of film noir and naturalistic family drama... A Billy Wilderesque dark elegance ... played with moving honesty." 
      - Theater Reviews by Ethan Kanfer. Full article HERE

      Humor and pathos are gracefully layered in three shorts … Crisply written and acted, fragile human moments are portrayed with delicacy and freshness in each piece. It makes a moving and entertaining evening at 59E59 Theatres.
      - Berkshire Fine Arts. Full article HERE

      "With the finest writing, directing, and acting, Summer Shorts 2018 offers something for many theatrical tastes... It is an outstanding opportunity to be engaged by great shows that are now emerging on the theatre scene.”
      - Broadway World Review. Full article HERE

    • FILMING O’KEEFFE

      The New York Times mentions a socially distanced production of Filming O'Keeffe in 2020. HERE

      “Bold, quirky, and intelligent, Filming O’Keeffe will engage and amaze on as many levels as an audience will allow. Stieglitz and O’Keeffe would smile upon it.” 
      –Metroland

      “A strong, compelling production that, while being an excellent evening of theater in its own right, is also a testament to the value of regional theater companies’ creation of new work.[…] “Filming O’Keeffe feels fresh and satisfying; it’s truly about something, and it has something to say.
      –Albany Times Union. Full article HERE

      "New ATF play not to be missed." "It's a small, perfect jewel of a production. Running at barely over an hour and 20 minutes, every minute has to count, and it absolutely does. The big ideas that playwright Eric Lane packs into such a seemingly small show are beautiful and thought provoking.”
      –The Daily Gazette. Full article HERE

      Year’s Top Ten
      –The Daily Gazette

      “One of the great takeaways from this play is how deeply original the characters are, what sticking power each has, how complete the portrayals.”
      –The Chronicle

      Filming O’Keeffe is a play about ideas. That it succeeds as drama is a tribute to the actors, to director Martha Banta, and, of course, to playwright Eric Lane.”
      –Lake George Mirror

    • RIVERBED

      "Truly a treat... The beauty of Lane’s work isn’t to be missed."
       The Public Reviews

      "Most impressive... Poignant... Evocative... Heartbreaking."
      - TheaterScene

      Riverbed took the fullest advantage of its theatrical medium, combining lighting, abstract blocking, poetic text, and a sound-scape to tell its story.”
       Stage Buddy.  Full Article HERE

    • RIDE

      “There is only one word to describe the play, Ride making its debut at Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater: brilliant.”

      “Every single aspect of the play is pitch perfect, from the incredibly witty and heartfelt script to the extreme talent of the three young actresses who offer mesmerizing performances.”

      “It is an incredibly moving and hilarious script and Walker’s pacing keeps the audience engaged every second of the play.”
      –The Cape Code Times HERE

      “Eric Lane has written a beautiful, powerful play about love, loss, obligation, friendship and family. Each character’s dialogue is absolutely on target, modern, honest, authentic, warm and humorous.”
      –The Cape Cod Chronicle

      "What breathes life into the story is the quick-witted dialogue between the three characters. There is such a special and unique rhythm established that we have rarely seen before, and that makes the reading experience exciting. The characters are crafted with attention to detail."
      - ScreenCraft Stage Play Competition Semifinalist

      "Award-winning playwright Eric Lane’s relatable, touching, timeless and humorous work Ride centers on a car trip taken by three girls. But it’s also an emotional experience involving change." 

      "[Director] Rodaz nicely balances Lane’s humor with poignancy in this touching production that, from the get-go, makes us want to accompany these characters on their ride."

      "You’ll be glad you hopped aboard this Ride."

      – Theatrical Musings HERE

    • PLAYS FOR TWO – Vintage Books

      Editor Interview – Eric Lane
      By Jacqueline E. Lawton HERE

    • I INTERVIEW PLAYWRIGHTS: ERIC LANE

      Part 349: Eric Lane
      By Adam Szymkowicz HERE

    • HEART OF THE CITY

      Hear of the City is also buoyed by its palpably benign worldview. Unlike many social mosaics, it does not, for once, amount to a blunt condemnation of urban existence. How refreshing.”
      –The New York Times HERE

      Eric Lane writes a play like a magic lantern; Ingmar Bergman’s magic lantern. Real people crisscross everywhere, like beating hearts, behind the characters in “Hear of the City.” The whole play jolts into life, like an unforeseen synthesizing burst of electricity.”
      –The Villager

      “There are moments of insight, compassion, and wisdom – and they’re all illuminated by the energetic cast.”
      –TheaterMania HERE

      “The actors give impeccable performances under Martha Banta’s brisk direction.”
      –Back Stage

      Strong, searching women are at the core of ‘Heart.”
      –The Villager

    • TIMES OF WAR

      “The play is entertaining, absorbing and deeply moving. You’ll love it.”
      –The Post Star

      “The second act – with the older, wiser Doris clandestinely meeting a young man at a carnival – is dazzling old-fashioned theater, all words and gestures and genuine drama. […] Doris’s begrudging pity on the boy is almost – almost – as wrenching as Rose-of-Sharon’s pity for a dying man in John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath.
      –The Times Union

      Times of War is at times brilliant. This is theater worth seeing.”
      –Metroland

      Times of War offers a phenomenal opportunity for an actress to show her talent.”
      –The Record

    • CATER-WAITER film

      “Twenty-seven gay men and three lesbians serve the hors d’oeuvres in Cater-Waiter, a masterpiece of bittersweet understatement, which poignantly locates the pleasures and pains of two waiters surviving in the face of a Republican fund-raiser.”
      –British Film Institute

      Funny and charming.”
      –HX Magazine

      (Recommended) …And the best of the lotCater-Waiter begins with a hilarious Biblical explanation of the origins of catering, then follows a group of waiter-slash-actors as they work a series of parties for Reganesque Republicans in the late ‘80s. Sly, funny, even romantic, with a cast full of familiar names from NY’s gay theater crowd (including David Drake and Lisa kroon), the film turns a corner you may not expect and ends up packing a wallop.”
      –Philadelphia City Paper, Coverstory

    • CATER-WAITER play

      “Eric Lane’s clever and funny enough to set off heavy themes (grief, devastation, loss) with wicked laughs and spritzy wit. Irresistibly Feiffer-esque.”
      –The Village Voice

      “The play is both poignant and hilarious with a tour de force role for an actor.
      –Back Stage

      “A very touching love story. We loved it!”
      –It’s a Wonderful Life

    • VINTAGE PLAY ANTHOLOGIES

      EDITED BY ERIC LANE & NINA SHENGOLD

      PLAYS FOR TWO
      From Library Journal

      "Indefatigable editors Lane and Shengold have assembled a truly required volume of 28 new plays for two actors and a multiplicity of ethnicities in an astonishing variety of styles. VERDICT: Readers won't find a better deal with more pleasurable plays anywhere else. Essential for academic libraries as well as for high school seniors who are serious about going to college and majoring in theater." – Larry Schwartz, Minnesota State Univ. Lib. HERE

      LEADING WOMEN: PLAYS FOR ACTRESSES 2
      From Library Journal
      “The array of pieces, by playwrights whose impressive track records have garnered most of the awards throughout the nation, is rich in female attitudes, nuance, and diversity conjured by a variety of situations. Recommended for all libraries.” – Elizabeth Stifter

      From Booklist
      “The anthology gathers some of the strongest roles for women in contemporary American theater.” – Jack Helbig, American Library Association

      PLAYS FOR ACTRESSES
      From Library Journal

      “The varied themes, styles, and dramatic forms offer rich, diverse, all-female roles for audition or production by high school dramatic clubs, college acting classes, or professional and civic theater groups.” –  Ming-ming Shen Kuo, Ball State Univ.

      TALK TO ME: MONOLOGUE PLAYS
      From Booklist
      “A big, rich volume of full-length monologue plays, one-acts, and shorter pieces.[...] A collection of interest to both actors, especially those looking for new audition pieces, and readers eager to keep up with current trends in American theater.” – Jack Helbig, American Library Association

      LAUGH LINES: SHORT COMIC PLAYS
      Talkinbroadway.com
      “Laugh Lines is a handy little collection and a real bargain as well. […] Variety is the salient quality of this anthology. Laugh Lines will be a welcome resource for actors and directors looking for new material. It's also good recreational reading and could be usefully studied by anyone preparing to write a short play.” ­­– Sarah Boslaugh HERE


      From Booklist
      “The real strength of the book arises from editors Lane and Shengold's spirit of inclusiveness, which allows obscure but hilarious writers to appear cheek by jowl with better-known funny women and men.” – Jack Helbig, American Library Association