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All My Fathers

THE NEW YORKER: “In the hilarious first half of Paul David Young’s new play, David (Richard Gallagher), a version of the playwright, pays a reluctant visit to his childhood home, in Kentucky. His monster of a mother, Regina (a spectacular Deborah Hedwall), announces, through the fog of her dementia, that David’s true biological father was his (now dead) pediatrician, Dr. Woodman (a perfectly doctorly Brian Hastert), and not her long-suffering husband, Bill (touchingly performed by Jonathan Hogan). . ."

LIGHTING & SOUND AMERICA: “A surprisingly nimble and funny fantasia”
“Packed with curveballs, All My Fathers is also a work of considerable literacy.”
“[T]here is poignancy as well as cleverness here.”

THEATER PIZZAZZ: “All My Fathers is a clever, circumspect examination of paternity and “how to find it,” especially if one’s mom has been clouding the issue which women may do to save themselves and their children. Young’s humor is salient and sardonic. The actors are just terrific. Yionoulis’ direction reflects the balance needed to move from the dramatic beginning to the humorous, absurdist ending and the lovely reconciliation at the conclusion.”

THEATER IS EASY: "Director Evan Yionoulis handles the potentially heavy material with a light touch, keeping her cast's heads above the flood of twists and turns, with Hedwall and Hogan turning in performances that are both hilarious and poignant. Young's text mirrors the emotional journey of his "protagonist," in that it goes through a lot of different feelings but hasn't come to terms with what it all means.”

Interludes: “Then we have Mr. Young’s new play All My Fathers (RECOMMENDED), which has been stylishly directed by Evan Yionoulis at La MaMa. Mr. Young uses a number of tools in his shed to tell the “pseudo” autobiographical story of his relationship with his parents, specifically in light of a family secret (no spoilers here) that was divulged towards during the twilight of their lives. . . . The acting is very good across the board, especially Deborah Hedwall and Jonathan Hogan, who gamely play Mr. Young’s aging parents with agility and color.”

THE REVIEWS HUB:  "In All My Fathers, Paul David Young manages to weave material from thousands of years of literature’s unhappy families into his own story and make it all sound like one family, undeniably distinct and yet painfully familiar. All My Fathers is remarkable work and should not be missed."

faust 3: the turd coming, or the fart of the deal

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: “Some of the new productions take the critiques and portrayals of [Trump] to a whole other level.  Consider Paul David Young’s “Faust 3: The Turd Coming, or The Fart of the Deal,” now playing at Judson Memorial Church in Manhattan.  Mr. Young, a playwright whose work has been previously produced in New York, views Mr. Trump through the devilish lens of the Faust story, but with a darkly comic—and very scatological—twist."

THE NEW YORK TIMES: "Must I also mention “Faust 3: The Turd Coming, or The Fart of the Deal,” a satire of Mr. Trump performed by a company of clowns? I must.”

HYPERALLERGIC: “Between its uncompromising, blistering rage and its condemnatory rhetorical stance, the play has many echoes of Biblical prophecy. . . . With its trove of references and dizzying wordplay, it is an impressive feat of rhetoric, and ensemble members Ayun Halliday, Aidan O’Shea, Regina Strayhorn, and Ben Watts deftly deliver Paul David Young’s ambitious text at a Beckettian, breakneck pace.”

STAGEBUDDY: “This is experimental, Brechtian, political theater done right, with every millisecond of the hour-long performance packed with nuance and perspicacity.”

Kentucky Cantata

Named as on of the 13 best Off-Broadway and Off-Off-Broadway in 2015 by TALKINGBROADWAY.COM:  

"Kentucky Cantata is a masterful work that is likely to stay with you for a long time after the final bows."  "devastating"  "brilliantly composed" 

Clown Play

THE NEW YORK TIMES: “In his dark comedy ‘Clown Play,’ Paul David Young intriguingly combines critical elements from the horror playbook: angry clowns, semiautomatic weapons, an abandoned house in the suburbs.”

THE VILLAGE VOICE: "completely unconventional”  “The script is intelligently bizarre: It’s Rob Zombie’s The Devil’s Rejects meets Marcel Marceau, and ultimately connects its disorienting components into an ode to clowning and the pain it sometimes masks."

In The Summer Pavilion

BACKSTAGE “Critic’s Pick”: “Paul David Young’s compassionate drama ‘In the Summer Pavilion’ was a highlight of the 2011 New York International Fringe Festival. An imaginative exploration of the various possible futures for three close friends just one year out of college, it has moved on to an Off-Broadway run with a tweaked script . . . the show remains a quiet winner.”

THE DAILY NEWS: “Paul David Young's hour-long one-act, ‘In the Summer Pavilion,’ boasts an achy and richly observant story and a talented ensemble.”