"Ambitious...exciting"

Ambitious... the energy and passion make for an exciting bit of theater...A trio of actors working together to unfreeze the still images of the past, riding the waves of time with vibrant rhapsody.

&mdash Aaron Riccio, Show Showdown

"Impeccable, beautiful and touching."
4/5 stars, Fringe First Nominee

The painful story that was in danger of being lost to history is brought to life by a lyrical, well-researched script, slick performances by the cast and Jess Chayes's imaginative direction.

As the innocent pleasure of the matinee turns to terror, the choreography of the characters who move from dancing to dying while the circus orchestra plays on is impeccable, beautiful and touching. Despite the brevity of the play, each is brought sharply to life to tell not only the story of that fateful day, but also of wider American society. This production by Wesleyan University is technically smooth and professional. They're obviously on a budget, but they make full use of every resource available.

&mdash The Scotsman

"a bizzarre, chilling and melancholy success"

&mdash Three Weeks

"Ruminative, rewarding"

A theatrical exploration of the Hartford Circus Fire of 1944, during which an inferno inside the Ringley Brothers Barnum & Bailey circus tent claimed over 165 lives, Chayes' play combined a thrilling sense of showmanship with a delicate appreciation for the emotional mysteries of individuals caught in the crossfire of public tragedy. In the skilled hands of Chayes and her cast and crew, the gulf between big-top frivolity and painful catastrophe became a potent metaphor for the fascinating, frustrating divide between past and present.

&mdash The Wesleyan Argus

5/5, "Fascinating, beautiful, heartbreaking."

A couple defend their son's innocence, confronted by a tannoy talk-show host more interested in the science of murder than a family's grief. The trouble is memories get jumbled up the more they are repeated, as the father protests: The first time we just lived it. This touching story about denial, perspective and parenthood engulfs you in the trauma of the pair, using simple but effective screen images that both enhance the speech and undermine the memories of the beautifully drawn and acted parents. How wonderful to see a performance which has no need for the obligatory twist to undermine all that went before. This is wonderful, please, please go and see it.

&mdash Three Weeks

Best Play, Psychological Drama

The award reflects the astonishing presentation of Joyce Carol Oates's superb play Tone Clusters at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe by its outstanding cast and crew. Mesmerising performers (alpha order) Mike James, Hayley Stoker, Eric Wdowiak created a horribly compelling epic of drama. Directing, management, production, musical, sound, video and graphic excellence from a supremely gifted backstage team produced a highly original and effective staging. Together the company showed how a complete play can be done magnificently in just 45 minutes.

&mdash Fringe Report